Mass Effect: The New Journey
by Arashi the Solar Phoenix
Summary: During a Joint Deployment, the UNSC Infinity and Her Sangheili allies are suddenly thrown into a new Galaxy, and end up near Charon before the Systems Alliance discovers the Charon Relay. Alliances are forged and how will the galaxy react to an aggressive humanity that not only doesn't use Mass Effect technology, but will not let anyone stand in their way of expansion? AU PreME1
1. The Admiral's Offer

_**Mass Effect: The New Journey**_

_Chapter One: _A New Past

I know what you're thinking. "Another Mass Effect/Halo Crossover"? Yes, I know, I know, but this is an idea that has been in my head for the last couple of days and won't go away. Also, since I refuse to work on three stories simultaneously, this will also test the waters of what YOU the reader want. I'm working on chapter four of Paradigm Shifts as well as my Naruto fic. The Naruto one is staying, no questions asked, but these two are up in the air. I'll look at reader feedback to see which ones you all like the most.

By the way, I'm taking a LOT of liberties with Halo canon (who's alive, who's not, etc) for the sole purpose of rule of cool. So if someone's alive here, who should be canon, the answer to why they are alive is simple: Because _**it's fucking awesome,**_ that's why.

That being said, let's get this show on the road and see how well I do!

Full Summary: During a joint patrol/deployment, the UNSC and her Sangheili allies are transported to Mars before the Systems Alliance discovers the Prothean ruins. After having no choice, the two embark on an alliance with the Systems Alliance. How will the galaxy react to an aggressive and domineering humanity who comes aboard with technology that's, quite literally, out of this universe?

Disclaimer: I make no claim of anything except my own work. Mass Effect and Halo are under the rights of Bioware and 343 Industries, as well as the publishing rights of Electronic Arts and Microsoft Game Studios, respectively.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity, Slipspace, in-route to the Perseus Arm**

**April 15****th****, 2570**

Hearing a beeping noise, Admiral Thomas Lasky groggily awakened from his slumber. The alarm clock was annoying, yes, but it sure did its job as advertised. Reaching up, he smashed the snooze button in aggravation, and turned on his side to get some extra shut-eye, in defiance.

"You know, Admiral, the clock was set for a reason," came the voice all too familiar with the UNSC naval officer.

Lasky groaned, not really in the mood. That was a _very nice_ slumber he was awakened from. "Roland...piss off," Lasky replied, not really caring at that particular moment. He wasn't around his subordinates, and Roland knew him very well, so there was no need for decorum.

"Admiral, I would have you know that we'll be in the Perseus Arm within the next hour or so," he said a matter-of-factly. "I'd suggest you hurry and get dressed. Wouldn't want to show up on a joint deployment with the Arbiter looking like a dirtbag." He always did enjoy Marine vernacular.

Sighing, Lasky forced himself out of his bed and craned his neck and stretched his upper body muscles. He immediately went to the bathroom to take a quick shower, shave, and do any other miscellaneous hygienic needs to appear as professional as possible.

"How's _**Infinity**_, Roland?" Lasky asked stepping back into his quarters drying his face of shaving cream. He had to admit; he did feel _a hell_ of lot more energetic after cleaning up.

"Green as always, sir," the AI remarked, with a bit of disinterest, almost as if the inquiry was preposterous in his mind.

Lasky smirked and decided to tease the AI for his own amusement. "Sure? Might have missed a diagnostic somewhere."

"Please," Roland scoffed. "Admiral, I've been on this ship and working with you for thirteen years, I know this ship better than practically any of you humans and given my capability upgrades after Requiem, you damn well sure I know this ship is green." If this were ten years ago, Roland would've been dead from rampancy six years ago, five if he was lucky. But due to data found on Requiem by the Master Chief, the UNSC was not only able to repair and save Cortana in time, but also able to give new upgrades to every existing Smart AI. Unfortunately, the data algorithms and processes were far too complex for the matrixes of 'dumb' AI and as such, their life span was virtually the same as it had always been. It didn't matter to UNSC brass though. If they were being completely honest with themselves, the value of the prolonged life span of a smart AI outweighed a hundred dumb ones.

Lasky finished putting on his dress blues. "So I see your point." Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, he poured himself some hot chocolate, preferring it to coffee or a latte. The latter brewed beverages did nothing for him, and yet, strangely, hot cocoa did. Drinking some, he allowed the taste to stay on his lips before closing the lid and walking out. The doors locked automatically.

Strolling down the hallways toward the exit, coincidently, he ran into his old friend and confidant, Sarah Palmer. The SPARTAN-IV was fully armored in her MJONIR GEN-3 armor, without her helmet. New generation MJONIR armor had helmets built in and could retract inside the suit at the will of the Spartan using it, a process eerily similar to the Didact. All it would take was a simply mental command, and Palmer could be fully ready for battle within two seconds. "Look at you, Admiral, I see you didn't feel like getting up as much as I didn't," she noted with hints of amusement.

"Don't start with me, Captain. I was having some great dreams," he remarked, good naturedly, as they passed and saluted several subordinates on their way to the elevator to _**Infinity**_'s bridge.

Palmer laughed, "Like what? Dreaming that you'll one day beat me in war games on the S-deck?"

Lasky scoffed, "I'm a pilot and a ship officer, Captain. Ground Ops is your forte, not mine, though I'm certainly capable if push comes to shove." Protecting Dr. Halsey from a Promethean Knight more than a decade ago immediately came to mind.

Palmer shook her head and didn't comment any further as they both stepped into the elevator. Roland had already preprogrammed it to take them to the bridge.

"Tom," Palmer started, using first names, now that they were alone. "I know this is a joint deployment, but I just can't get this nagging feeling in the back of my head, that something's just...off."

Lasky frowned. "Look, Sarah...we've been allies for almost twenty years. The Arbiter has proven time and time again he's upholding his vow to make up for the mistakes that were made during the war. I think it's time to bury the hatchet."

She shook her head. "No, sir, it's not the squid heads. I trust them—pft, never thought I'd say _that_-I'm just talking about this whole thing. Just...I don't know. I understand that this deployment was intended to be long-term, but the brass overstocked _Infinity_ to ludicrous levels," she told him, bluntly.

Lasky nodded in slight agreement. 'Overstocked' was probably a_** colossal**_ understatement. The UNSC brass went above and beyond two weeks ago when _**Infinity**_ and her escort fleet underwent massive software and hardware upgrades in the Ort Cloud shipyard. _Literally_, _**every single computer**_ on the flagship was stripped out and replaced with the latest-and-greatest editions of hardware, some of which, quite literally, came off the assembly line a few days before being shipped to _**Infinity**_. Sections of the ship that used to be for civilians were stripped and cut in half in total number and were replaced with additional barracks and hangars for combat personnel. Infinity's main hangar bay was filled to maximum capacity with Longswords, Sabres, Broadswords, and the brand-new Katana class fighter jets, along with hundreds of Pelican dropships. In some cases, the vehicles were spaced apart barely twenty-five feet from each other, the bare minimum by UNSC regulations. Land based vehicles were in a separate bay, but like their flying cousins, they were stocked to the brim too. Hundreds of Cougars, Warthogs, Generation-II Scorpion Tanks, Grizzlies, Cobras, Rhinos, with numerous upgrades in speed and firepower were added to the roster of Infinity's complement. To go along with this firepower, for the first time ever, three veteran battalions of ODST would serve onboard Humanity's flagship to assist in ground ops with the Marines and Spartans on-board. Like every other infantry division, they got some new personal toys as well, a "Christmas in April" as the Squad leaders dubbed it. The dozens of armories scattered throughout the ship were loaded with enough infantry weapons and ammo to last _years_, possibly more if they were rationed.

For the ship itself, the Huragok had upgraded its shielding system, adding a second layer and being able to recharge even quicker, and upgraded its sensor systems. Its four Series-8 MAC guns were now halfway in between the power it used to have, and the power of the new Ultra-Mac Orbital Defense Platforms, which replaced the Super-Macs ten years ago, en masse. While the Archer missiles were simply upgraded to provide more range, speed, and explosive yield, the Howler and Rapier pods were taken out entirely and were replaced with the new M-100 Jericho missiles defense system. There were 750 Jericho Missile pods, with only three missiles per pod. Although, on the surface, it seemed like a ludicrously small amount, especially considering the importance of Infinity, what made Jericho missiles heads and shoulders above Howlers and Rapiers was the fact that when one missile fired, it separated halfway to its target into a hundred different missiles, increasing the explosive yield and killing power of the tertiary weapons tenfold.

Although very select individuals on the ship knew it, there existed three prototypes SUPERNOVA ISBMs (Interstellar Ballistic Missile), hidden deep within the bowels of the ship, guarded at all times by a SPARTAN-IV fireteam. These bombs were retrofitted with pinpoint accurate slipspace drives and the UNSC Infinity could, in theory, nuke a planet or star system from the other side of the galaxy thousands of light years away. They were covered in a special Forerunner-grade coating that made it virtually undetectable by conventional means. UNSC scientists knew of the only known weakness of the coating and that secret was Delta-8 classified. Any person who somehow learned of the secret and didn't have the proper clearance and need-to-know was executed. ONI was taking absolutely zero chances when it came to WMDs. Admiral Lasky needed the _express_ unanimous consent of HIGHCOM to use the SUPERNOVA; otherwise, he'd be court martialed and sent to a high security UNSC prison for the rest of his natural life in the absolute _best-case_ scenario. In the worst, and frankly more likely, scenario, his trial would be publicized all over UEG space and he'd be executed to make an example out of.

All in all, the UNSC had spent _billions_ of cR upgrading both Infinity and her escort fleet, with the firepower and crew to take on God himself. The process took two weeks, with over a hundred thousand persons, human, engineer, and, oddly enough, Sangheili (mostly for some heavy lifting), working tirelessly with very few breaks.

"I know, but we're exploring the other side of the galaxy as well as practicing war games along the way. At least we know command isn't taking any chances in case we run into trouble," Lasky argued.

"If you say so." The retort came out more dismissive than she intended, but it was too late now. She knew the admiral wouldn't take it personally.

They arrived at the bridge and stepped out of the elevator. "Admiral on deck!" Every single officer and enlisted personnel immediately stopped what they were doing to go to attention.

Lasky smiled a bit. He was at home. "As you were," he told them, and they went back to their duties not a moment later.

He and Palmer turned the corner and found an unexpected guest on the bridge: Commander John-117, leader of the Spartans on _**Infinity**_, and unquestionably the savior of humanity. MJONIR Mark X covered him from head to toe, and although he could retract his helmet into his suit, he preferred to have it on outside of his quarters and around other Spartans. Although Palmer outranked him on a technicality, she always diverted ground ops leadership to him, his decades of experience invaluable.

"Well, you certainly were the last person I expected on my bridge," the UNSC flag officer noted.

"Cortana insisted," he tried to allay.

"And yet, at the end of the day, you still could've refused," Cortana quipped, her hologram appearing on the holotable. She looked better than ever, to the point where you wouldn't know she had almost died from Rampancy if you didn't know her history. "Honestly, Chief, you don't have to listen to _all_ my suggestions." Even though John was an officer, old habits died hard, even for AI. He'd always be the "Chief" to her, or John when in private.

"Then you'd complain about me not taking your ideas into account," John retorted, staring at her.

Cortana tipped her head, conceding. "Touché."

"Come to see the fireworks, I take it commander?" Lasky asked the legendary super soldier.

"More or less."

"I see. Roland, how long until we reach the Perseus Arm and the rendezvous point with the Arbiter's fleet?"

Roland's avatar appeared on the other side of the table near Lasky. "Ten minutes, sir. The _Fleet of Glorious Repentance_ should be waiting for us. They did leave a bit earlier than us."

"_Glorious Repentance_, huh? Not too shabby," Palmer had to admit to herself. Although the fleet was small numerically, it more than made up for it in sheer firepower and the skill of the warriors that served in it. The Sangheili, Unggoy, and Mgalekgolo that served in the fleet more than lived up to their reputation, with some Sangheili Spec Ops Officers easily rivaling the SPARTAN-IIs, let alone the IIIs and IVs, on Infinity. When you allowed yourself to adapt to new ways of battle instead of the usual doctrine they had used for a millennium under the Prophets, it allowed for tremendous increases in skill and prowess. To say the UNSC felt blessed they didn't face them at their current level during the war thirty years ago was a putting it lightly.

The name wasn't for show either. The fleet was a symbolic representation of the sins of the Covenant and the need for a new step forward with human/separatist relations. Each and every single warrior in the fleet volunteered of their own free will to serve and repent for their deeds in the Human-Covenant war. Judging from some of the classified dossiers from ONI that Lasky was able to see pre-deployment, some of the individual Sangheili in the fleet from minor all the way to shipmaster were _**ferociously**_ loyal to humanity as a whole. The irony was not lost to the Admiral.

"Indeed. We should expect nineteen ships when we arrive: Three CAS-Class Assault Carriers, seven CCS-Battle cruisers, and nine SDV corvettes. As you know already, Infinity's escort consists of three Marathon-class heavy cruisers, six-Halcyon class light cruisers, Infinity's ten Strident-class frigates, as well as twelve Paris-class frigates, all retrofitted and upgraded."

"Fifty-one ships?" Palmer whistled in awe. This fleet, with its combination of superior firepower and numbers, was probably strong enough to take down Reach if it really wanted too.

"We'll be exciting slipspace in approximately one minute, Admiral!" one of the technicians called out.

"Ready to get back into the fight, Chief?" Cortana teased.

"So long as you're not driving," John replied, humorously, with a wave of nostalgia washing through him. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was kind of anxious to fight alongside Thel again. The two had amazing battle chemistry during the final closing days of war. He was just as valuable of a teammate, if not more so, than Blue Team. Not that he'd _ever_ tell Fred, Kelly, or Linda that.

"Exciting Slipspace in...three...two...one..."

Looking outside, the blackness of space was finally visible again as the near-six kilometer long vessel to John. On either side of Infinity were her escorts, the three Marathon-class cruisers taking point near the front of the flagship, the six Halcyon cruisers in the center and back, with twelve frigates scattered in various strategic places.

"All ships reporting green, Admiral," Roland informed him. Lasky nodded his head in acknowledgement. The entire fleet had jumped and were not even ten kilometers apart, a feat previously unheard of and reserved for Covenant ships. UNSC tech really had come a long way since the end of the war.

Up ahead was the _Fleet of Glorious Repentance_, waiting tranquilly in perfect formation, for their human allies. The _Shadow of Intent_, the fleet's flagship, was dead center, coated in black, instead of silver, along with the rest of their ships. The cruisers were now cobalt blue and the other Assault Carriers, _the __**Steeple of Ascent**_ and _**Baptism of Fire**_, were colored a dark grey. The logic and reasoning behind the color scheme changes were that the Sangheili wanted to bury the legacy of the Covenant Empire as much as possible and so the Arbiter ordered all Separatist ships to be repainted in new colors to atone for their error in the Human-Covenant war. It was a small gesture, sure, but it spoke volumes in closing the gap of distrust in the long run. So far, it was proving to be working. Human-Sangheili relations were growing warmer with every month that passed by. By now, it was a forgone conclusion that their alliance would eventually result in unification under a single government.

"We're being hailed, Admiral," Roland reported stoically.

Lasky took a small swig of his hot chocolate and sat it in a cup holder. He was ready. "Patch 'em through, Roland."

In seconds, a holographic "television" appeared on the holotable and the image of Thel Vadam, Arbiter and de-facto leader of the Sangheili's image inside the rectangular hologram. He still wore the ceremonial armor that the Prophets had given him decades ago. However, even with its appearance, it had undergone massive upgrades, courtesy of UNSC scientists at Trevelyan as a show of good faith and a nod of thanks. After all, were it not for the Arbiter, Rtas would've glassed Earth eighteen years ago to prevent the Flood from spreading. The only armor in UEG space that remotely compared was MJONIR Mark X, which, ironically enough, only had one wearer: John.

"Ah, Admiral Lasky, you finally show up. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," the Arbiter joked, which was a bit strange coming from him.

Lasky smirked. "You know I wouldn't have missed this for the galaxy."

"So it seems," the Arbiter replied good-naturedly. "Are you all well stocked for this mission? It will be awhile before we return home."

Suppressing an amused scoff, the admiral replied, "Of course. We're at maximum capacity for literally, everything: ships, personnel, supplies, you name it."

The Arbiter gave a grin. His entire fleet was the same way. Stocked to the brim. "It seems Lord Hood doesn't take chances. This is good." He then noticed John. "It's good to see you again, Jo...Spartan."

"Likewise, Arbiter," the Spartan commander replied genuinely, glad Thel had caught himself in time. The two were on first name basis, but they preferred that to not be public knowledge. Lord knows that would cause more of a headache than what was needed.

"Arbiter, when can you have some of your Spec Ops to Infinity? Fireteams Crimson and Majestic have been looking for a rematch after that last bout," Palmer inquired with a small and satisfied smirk on her face. She'd be lying if she didn't find the two SPARTAN-IV teams being thoroughly trounced in war games by the Sangheili Spec Ops team on Infinity's S-deck thoroughly comical. They were getting a bit too arrogant and it did serve as some humble pie that served cold. Unsurprisingly, Blue Team and NOBLE team had a far better win/loss ratio.

She saw the elite tap a few buttons on his console. "Done. Rtas will have a Phantom sent to Infinity within ten minutes."

Palmer nodded in thanks and dismissed herself from the bridge, eager to tell Majestic and Crimson to suit up.

"When they arrive, I'd like us to head out ASAP," Lasky suggested.

"Agreed, Admiral. I'll prep our teams for immediate deployment." With that the connection was cut off and the Arbiter's image vanished. Chief had touched Cortana's hologram and the AI was instantly in his suit. The UNSC officer raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong, Commander?"

John simply walked passed him. "Majestic and Crimson aren't the ones looking for a fight." He punched the elevator to take him to the S-deck.

With a shake of his head, Lasky sat in his chair enjoying his cocoa, going over some last minute diagnostics with Roland.

* * *

**UNSC **_**Infinity**_**, S-Deck **

"So...what's it looking like, Kat?" Commander Carter-A259 asked Noble-Two. He was in dark blue MJONIR Mark IX armor. It looked virtually the same as the Mark V he wore during the fall of Reach except it was a lot slimmer and lighter, and the internal upgrades were exceptionally more advanced.

"I count two Sangheili rangers, but I don't see anyone else," Kat replied, looking back at the leader of NOBLE team. Like the commander, her armor was the same, as well. In these times of piece the UNSC was finally able to convince her to replace her cybernetic arm with one that was flash cloned.

Carter hugged a nearby pillar and clenched his MA5E Hybrid Assault Rifle. He was a tactician, and a thinker, but this was proving to be a tough call for him. He could charge ahead and end this the old fashioned way in a zerg rush, but that came with a plethora of risks, along with going the opposite route in trying to sneak in. He decided to screw it and go for the former and made a move to leap into action before...

_**SIMULATION TERMINATED...**_

_**SIMLATION TERMINATED...**_

The environment they were in vanished and was transformed into a dull grey room, one of the many hybrid holographic/hard light training rooms on the S-deck.

"Well...that was anti-climatic," Kat said, annoyed.

"Agreed," Carter said as both SPARTAN-IIIs exited the training deck. They immediately strolled towards the tower that controlled the simulations to find Fireteam Majestic. They all went to attention and saluted the Commander, which was sharply returned. "I'm sure you all had a good reason for stopping our training?"

DeMarco, Majestic's commander, had spoken collectively for all of them. "Sorry, commander, orders from Admiral Lasky, all operations are to end immediately," he reported apologetically.

"It's fine," Carter replied, clearly not happy, but he'd get over it, eventually.

"I wouldn't say immediately," came the voice of Palmer, giving the team one of her rare smiles. "At ease, Spartans," she told them, sensing them tense up when she walked in. "I got good news, Majestic."

"Define "good" news, Captain, as that can mean anything to you," Thorne quipped, throwing the Captain a smirk.

"Well, as you know, we've already arrived in the Perseus Arm, and I managed to convince the Arbiter to send some Spec Ops Elites over here to train with us while the Admirals and Ship commanders play nicely upstairs."

Their looks were priceless she wouldn't lie. "Oh, hell yeah! Time for some payback, Majestic!" Hoya's enthusiasm was infectious and the Fireteam had full-blown shit eating grins.

"Well, gather Fireteam Crimson and get your asses to hangar bay 20 and meet the squidheads." The nickname for the Elites was now used more affectionately, than out of scorn. Christ, they were growing on her like a fungus. Majestic practically sprinted out of the tower.

"Think they got what it takes to beat 'em?"

"Not really sure to be honest, Captain," Kat replied. "We've been training them hard for the past six months, but Rtas' Spec Ops soldiers are some seriously tough bastards. Six and Commander-117 are the ones who consistently defeat them." If Captain Palmer didn't know any better, she could've swore she picked up some mild resentment from Noble-Two. "But, then again, we don't know if they'll be facing the same operatives as before."

Palmer nodded. "All right, think NOBLE team is up for a few rounds too?"

Carter nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Jun, Emile, and Jorge shouldn't be too hard to find. Six...dunno where he is."

"Probably playing with the Air Force's new bird," Kat sardonically replied. Six loved flying almost as much as he liked fighting and for a Spartan that was saying something!

_**UNSC Infinity, Hangar Bay 20**_

Hangar Bay 20 was a minor side hangar located near the top of the Infinity. It only had two landing ports, one of which was currently unoccupied, to make room for the Sangheili that would soon be arriving.

"Okay, you've been acting like a kid early Christmas morning, Nathan. You haven't left that cockpit ever since we entered real space," Jorge commented in annoyance, moving a few crates with some Marines in the Hangar Bay.

Nathan-B312, otherwise known as Noble Six, turned his head to stare at the only SPARTAN-II among NOBLE Team. His emerald green eyes traced amusement. "Oh, come on, Jorge, you can't tell me you can't wait to see what this thing can really do! I thought the Sabre was a badass plane, but..." Nathan whistled for emphasis. He was sitting in the cockpit of the YSS-2000, otherwise known as the "Katana". It was the newest space superiority fighter in the UNSC's inventory, having just completed testing and coming into service just a little under a year ago.

Aesthetically, it reminded Nathan of the SR-71 Blackbird developed by the United States of America, some six-hundred-plus years ago, except with some 26th century designs added. The starfighter was painted jet black in the same stealth coating as ONI prowlers, with the idea of a squadron of fighters being able to cause havoc among enemy forces without being detected. The coating was expensive, about half of the ships' maintenance costs, so, currently only Katana fighters had it. With two primary fusion engines and two auxiliary engines, the fighter was strong enough to escape a planet's atmosphere without the use of boosters, a remarkable improvement over the Sabre. It was also meant to complement the Broadsword in atmospheric conditions.

"Pft," Jorge scoffed, finally sitting down on a crate. "Last time I was your RIO, we almost were shot out of the sky by a goddamn supercarrier," he grunted.

"And this guy was also the one who managed to fix a few wires to repair the broken timer on the slipspace bomb," he reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Jorge grunted. It wasn't that he was ungrateful, far from it in fact. But they were having one of their "disagreements", and he'd be dammed if he let Six win this one!

Nathan smirked. "I'll take that as a thank you." He jumped out of the cockpit and dusted his hands off. "There, all done."

"What exactly did you do?"

"I just changed some settings around for my personal preferences," he replied with a shrug.

"Hope those 'preferences' don't involve us making dangerous turns in asteroid belts and attacking a nineteen-mile long ship." Six only smiled knowingly. Yep. He was screwed.

"Nathan...Jorge...I take it everything is prepared?" came a voice from behind the two Spartan teams. The two went to attention immediately. It was Commander-117, along with Fred-104, Kelly-087, and Linda-058, the infamous Blue Team.

"Aye sir, made the bay nice and comfortable for the squidheads," Jorge reported with lax in politesse.

"All right," John nodded as he noticed the rest of NOBLE team, Crimson, Majestic, Shadow, Avalanche, and various SPARTAN-IVs from different fireteams arrive in the bay.

"Heh, all these fireteams here and probably going to watch their fellow Spartans get their asses kicked...again," Kelly noted with a shake of her head. It wasn't meant to belittle the IVs-although they certainly did make a bad first impression when she first met the lot of them-it just the god honest truth. No need to sugarcoat it.

"We'll see, Kelly. I've been putting them through hell for the past six months. Don't knock my program," said Fred, a bit peeved that his pseudo protégés were being doubted already. Linda just shook her head and stayed quiet.

"Well we'll see it put to the test, huh?"

John took it as his time to quietly leave Blue-Team behind and walked toward the barrier that kept a suitable level of oxygen inside the bay. "Quite a sight, isn't it Chief? A bunch of Spartans excited to see Sangheili on a friendly basis," Cortana quipped inside his helmet. John only nodded in agreement.

"Phantom dropship inbound, all hands prepare for immediate arrival," a female voice said over the intercom. Every Marine, Spartan and Naval personnel immediately stopped what they were doing. Soon enough a blue colored Phantom dropship made its way into to the hangar and hovered dead center over the landing pad. Magnetic locks from the ceiling held it in place. Dozens of Sangheili in black armor, black and silver armor, and dark grey armor, landed on Infinity's deck.

John immediately recognized a few of them. Four of them were from the coveted "Ghost" squad, the Sangheili's equivalent of Blue Team. Out of every Spartan on Infinity, he and Nathan were the only ones who were able to match, and ultimately, defeat them, and even then it was a close call. They thoroughly defeated the other Spartans, including the IIIs, and utterly "shit-stomped" the IVs, as one ODST put it.

Marines, ODST, and Spartans immediately mingled with the eight-foot tall aliens, being extremely social with the Special Operations forces. One final occupant that John didn't expect dropped down from the Phantom: Rtas 'Vadum. The Special Operations Commander immediately strolled toward him, his posture friendly.

"It's been too long, Spartan," Rtas greeted beating his chest.

"Well aren't you too just the biggest of pals," Cortana teased. John ignored her completely.

"It has, Rtas," John agreed, though he was still confused by his presence. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we could meet again, but what are you doing here? I thought you were in command of the _Shadow of Intent_?"

"I am. But the Arbiter feels he's...how you humans say...out of his element? He wants to see if he can still command a ship like he used too. So I turned over command of the Intent to him...temporarily. My warriors were also itching for a fight and I came to see if they lived up to my expectations."

"I see," John nodded. "I'll likely be participating myself. Care to join me?" he offered.

"Ha! You pose a great challenge, Spartan. Very well, I too haven't seen much ground combat. So I accept."

With that being said, both commanders and their subordinates made their way to the S-deck to see which species was the greatest of them all.

* * *

(Mass Effect: The New Journey)

**UNSC **_**Infinity**_**, Unknown location in Perseus Arm, **

**May 1****st****, 2570 **

It had been roughly two weeks since the UNSC/Separatist fleet had embarked on their long-term joint deployment. So far things were going smoothly, all around. They were finding all kinds of planets that could be used for colonization, training garrisons, R&D outposts, and, more importantly, resources. Unfortunately, the search for Forerunner relics came up quite short.

All throughout the deployment various training exercises involving every branch was partaken in. Fighter squadrons were mock dogfighting with Seraphs, practicing strafing runs, holding key choke points as well as protecting flagships. Lasky had to give the Arbiter some credit. For an alien who hadn't commanded a ship in roughly twenty years, the man was still a brilliant tactician and kept the Admiral on his toes. Even still, the Arbiter felt that his skill still wasn't up to par what he used to do. Lasky, and even Rtas disagreed, but there was no shaking of the Sangheili leader's resolve to improve.

As for the Wargames, Majestic and Crimson had definitely closed the gap, and had won a few rounds with the Spec Ops Elites, but still came up short when facing the "Ghosts". Instead of competing head to head species against species, this week the teams were mixed and matched. Some teams, understandably, didn't work well together at all, but on the flip side, others were taking objectives, defeating other teams with ridiculous amount of ease.

**GAME OVER **

Lasky sipped on his cocoa as he finally watched the wargames match with Blue Team and the Ghosts finished. They were up against four SPARTAN-IV fireteams playing "territories". Despite being outnumbered 3-to-1, the mixed species team managed to come out on top.

"Your teams are pretty exceptional, Shipmaster, Arbiter." Lasky commented towards both Sangheili who were watching the teams from the tower that overlooked the S-Deck

Rtas waved them off. "I thank your for the praise, Admiral, but they are simply doing their jobs."

"You're allowed to be impressed you know that, right?"

"I know. I simply can't allow my praise to get to their heads. A humble warrior is often the most dangerous on the battlefield."

The admiral couldn't find any fault in his logic. "So I see. Any suggestions on what they should play next?" Honestly, he could watch them play all day, because not a single game was played the same and it held his complete and undivided attention.

Thel looked down at a list of what the humans called "game types." He pointed to one and showed it to the admiral.

"Extraction?" Lasky raised an interested brow. "Hmm...interesting. I'll have one of our technicians set it—"

"Um...Admiral...you and the Arbiter better get up to the bridge and fast."

Lasky couldn't help but feel annoyed. "What is it Roland? I told you to leave anything of note to my XO."

"I'm aware, Admiral, but we have a situation on our hands. We've found something."

"What is it? Have we found a Forerunner relic? Remnants of Storm activity?"

"We've found something, sir...and it's not UNSC, Covenant, _or_ Forerunner in origin."

The blood of everyone in the room suddenly ran cold. Lasky suddenly got deadly serious. "Roland, tell, Commander-117 to meet me at the bridge, Delta-8 priority. All fighters are to return to their hangars, prep for an immediate deployment: real world. All wargames are canceled for the day. I want Infinity and everyone else at full combat alert status and I want it done yesterday!" If this was a First Contact scenario, Lasky wasn't about to have humanity's flagship caught with their pants down.

"Aye, aye Admiral, orders being relayed...now. It's done." As if on cue, alarms started to ring throughout the ship. The Spartans on the S-Deck scrambled to armories to lock and load as Infinity went on full alert.

"Attention all hands, this is Roland. A situation has developed. All combat personnel are to immediately prep for possible deployment. I repeat all combat personnel are to _immediately_ prep for possible deployment. This is _not_ a drill. UNSC Infinity is now DEFCON 2. I repeat UNSC Infinity is now DEFCON 2!"

"Are you returning to your ships, Arbiter? Rtas?" Lasky inquired as the two Sangheili followed him towards the elevator.

"No. It's too risky in case this is a first contact scenario. We'd have no protection as all fighters are being prepped for real combat. I trust my shipmasters to do their jobs competently."

Lasky bobbed his head and the three officers stepped out on to the bridge. The bridge was full of pandemonium to the point where no one bothered for formalities, not that Lasky even remotely cared. As ordered, John was waiting for them, having arrived a bit earlier than they did. "What's the situation, Roland?" the admiral all but demanded as he came to the holotable.

"I'll be brief and straight to the point. Our scout teams decided to edge out a bit into the system, and they found this." A holographic object appeared on the table. It was most definitely a starship of some kind, in some ways reminded the Chief of the Didact's ship, Mantle's Approach, and yet it was a fully unique design on its own. The ship was enormous, easily dwarfing Infinity by a factor of eight. Even with its size, it was damaged, likely beyond repair judging from all of the gaping holes in it.

"Preliminary scans show nothing out of the ordinary, but its certainly...troubling."

"Yes...we might be on the verge of another galactic civilization," Thel said dolefully.

"Tell me, Spartan. I heard that your construct has more data on the Forerunners, than all of us. Does she know of anything?" Rtas asked John.

"I can certainly speak for myself," Cortana replied, appearing on the table. She brought up several documents in front of her, seemingly going through hundreds of Exabyte of information a second. "This is interesting, nothing in the Forerunners data indicated anything that matches this—" she paused as her eyes widened in panic. "Wait...this can't be right."

"Cortana..." John said seriously.

"Oh, God. No." she turned her head sharply to Lasky. "Admiral, you've got to get Infinity out of-"

"Sir! That ship is giving off readings charts! It's-"

Suddenly the supposedly 'dead' ship came alive and shot fifty one distinct beams that connected with every UNSC/Separatist ship. "Roland! Get us the fuck out of here!" he ordered with a roar.

"Can't sir! That ship has us completely immobile we're—"

Suddenly, Lasky felt like he was being pulled. Which is exactly what was happening to the entire Joint Fleet. All fifty-one ships were being pulled in the exact same matter the Didact used to trap Infinity on Requiem.

John felt dizzy and experienced a falling sensation. He landed on...something...but he wasn't sure what. Wincing from a headache he looked around to see Lasky, the Arbiter, and Rtas, slowing picking themselves up.

"Where are we?" That was the million-dollar question. They sure as hell weren't on Infinity, anymore.

"So, you've all come at last," came the masculine voice of a disembodied person. The four leaders instinctively went back-to-back, covering all of their sixes.

A figure materialized itself in front of them. For the first time in decades, John-117's jaw dropped to the floor in complete shock. Standing in front of them was not a Forerunner, Flood specimen, or even an alien. It was a _human_. An honest-to-God human. He had dark hair, markings on his face, and an attire that was not UNSC norm, but he was unquestionably a homo sapien.

Rtas growled. "What sorcery is this? Who are you?"

"_My name is...Forthencho. I am...or rather was, the Lord of Admirals and effectively, the military leader of the Ancient Human Civilization_."

Millions of questions were burning through all four minds, but Lasky gained his bearing and spoke collectively for them. "What have you done? Why have you brought us here?"

"_Do not worry, I have simply locked down your ships' systems with a powerful constraint field. No harm has come to your crews. Your technology is primitive to ours to the point where it could be divided amongst all of your ships and leave you completely immobile. As for why I have brought you for specifically here. I have a task for you."_

"A task...what kind?" John asked, playing along.

"_This is no mere starship...but a gateway to another galaxy in the Local Galactic Group."_

"Your empire was intergalactic?" Thel asked in bewilderment. They truly were insects compared to the Forerunners and Ancient humans.

"_Yes and no. We knew the Forerunners would eventually destroy us and hunt us down until every last one of us was either dead or reset back to the stone. So we decided to move to a new galaxy, a process we called the "New Journey". Somehow, the Didact learned of our plan and launched and all out invasion of our territory. We fled with as many as we could save to the Perseus Arm, here. Creating the most powerful Slipspace portal in the history of our kind, I sent them through. I stayed behind to maintain the portal and gateway in case our kind from this galaxy needed to go through again. Eventually, my body died and only my consciousness remained._"

"You couldn't have known they'd survive," Lasky said.

Forthencho shook his head. "_I didn't...at least not until years later. In a coincidence that was unlike anything I've seen, our race discovered a planet with nearly the exact same properties as our home world. The journey damaged their ships and some of our technology, yet communication remained somehow. However, after a certain time I lost contact 50,000 years ago and I'm uncertain as to why. However, I do know that the human race in this galaxy is thriving and on an eve of a discovery that will change their society. We cannot allow that to happen_."

"Why is that?"

"_Instincts. They've allowed me to survive hundreds of engagements with the Didact and their telling me that this will bring them to the path of stagnation_," he lied...sort of. He kept the _real_ reason he knew this to himself, as they'd find out the truth sooner or later. There were _some_ lies in his story too, but he bent the truth enough just to make it seem believable.

"What does that have to do with us?" Lasky all but demanded. His patience was wearing thin.

_"It's simple. I'm tasking you with going through the portal and stopping them from acquiring this primitive technology and replace it with your own, and become allies. Lead that humanity on the right path and take their rightful place in the galaxy."_

"Absolutely not," Lasky refused outright. "What the hell makes you think we can just do that? There are soldiers on these ships with families and you want us to leave them behind and expect them to live in another galaxy?!"

_"You know the effects of Slipspace. Time can seem relative, potentially. Six months there might mean a day might pass here."_

Lasky was about to reply before Thel put a hand on his shoulder. "What is in it for us, Human?" Although he certainly wasn't fond of the idea as a whole, in the Arbiter's mind, they pretty much had no choice the moment their fleet was caught in the restraint field. Rtas agreed with him.

"_My offer is simple. Complete this task I'll give your UNSC and its allies complete and total access to our technology, allowing you to make technological jumps in decades what would normally take you thousands of years. Although the Forerunners left you as their inheritors, our technology will be far easier to reverse-engineer."_

"We'll go," John replied.

"Commander, you can't just make—"

"Admiral, I understand where you're coming from. Truly, I do. But let's look at the facts here. He has us trapped here, and despite all of Infinity's upgrades, he did it with child's play. I wouldn't be surprised if he could blow us out of space with ease. Do you honestly think he's going to let us go? Second, I was created to protect humanity...ALL of it, regardless of what galaxy they were in. Third, we're being offered, practically for free, unrestricted access to technology that can jump humanity forward so we can recover and be whole again. Considering those facts, I'd say we're _obligated_ to go through."

Lasky opened his mouth to argue...but couldn't find the words. His logic was sound. He turned back to the Ancient Human. "How do we know you'll keep your word?"

The Lord of Admirals visibly recoiled as if struck, insulted. He gave Lasky a glare. "_I have a duty to my people, Admiral. My sole purpose was to protect, preserve, and extend my peoples' will. That is with the sole purpose that I was born. And every action I take is for the good of humanity. I would never go back on an offer that furthered that purpose!"_

The two human admirals gave a stare off, not willing to back down. Lasky grunted. "Fine." The two Sangheili looked at each other and nodded. They had accepted as well.

"What will we tell the crew?"

"_Nothing. As far as they're aware, this will be just a freak accident_." He snapped his fingers and the environment they were in started to slowly vanish. "_Propel humankind forward and you shall have your reward_." The Lord of Admirals vanished completely as well as the four leaders.

All fifty-one ships connected the constraint field soon vanished in a slipspace bubble, one by-one. The Lord of Admirals couldn't help but smirk. The Reapers were going to be in for one _hell_ of a surprise. Best served cold, indeed.

* * *

**SSV **_**Einstein**_**, Sol System, near Pluto**

**September 18****th****, 2149 **

Lieutenant Commander Steven Hackett strolled his way down the hallways of one of Humanity's first starships, the SSV Einstein. A year or so ago, Humanity had made its greatest discovery. A cache of alien technology was discovered in subterranean ruins on Mars. Humanity was no longer alone in the universe. Months later, Earth's largest eighteen nations drafted the Systems Alliance charter which would represent humanity on the galactic stage should they ever encounter alien life. Schematics were drawn up and the technology discovered was quickly reversed engineered. The Einstein was one of the very first true spaceships to roll off the shipyard. Hackett was assigned this ship for his exemplary service in the United States Navy and was chosen to be one of the first commanding officers of the Systems Alliance. It was a true honor.

"Status report," he asked one of his ensigns as he walked onto the bridge.

"Sir, we'll be near Pluto within the next five minutes," replied Ensign Hannah Shepard. The woman was tough as nails, did her job extremely well, and most of all, extraordinary beautiful.

Hackett nodded. "Good work, ensign. You're a natural," he complemented.

"Just doing my job, sir," she replied, inwardly beaming that THE Steven Hackett had complemented her job.

Hackett then thought back to their mission. One of the Alliance's probes had detected some strange readings coming from one of the moons orbiting Pluto. It had gone undetected for decades, but now with the alien cache, entirely new doors of science opened up and this was but one of many to come.

"Approaching Charon, now Adm-" Hannah Shepard stopped dead in her tracks as she dropped everything she was holding as her heart skipped several beats.

Hackett raised both eyebrows curious at the ensign's behavior. "Are you okay, Hannah?" he asked, using first names to make her feel a bit more comfortable. Hannah shook her head as she fearfully tapped a few buttons on her consoles and swallowed hard.

The sensors brought everything on screen. Hackett lost every trace of color in his skin as he went pale as a ghost. An entire _alien_ fleet of ships that dwarfed the _**Einstein**_ by a ridiculous margin was near the moon of Charon. His eyes went wide as saucers and his jaw dropped completely. There were four ships among the fleet that had to be AT LEAST six kilometers long and the black one looked as if it had enough firepower to sink an entire continent, judging by the outward appearance. Humanity's largest starship was around _600_ meters! This wasn't just bad, this outright _catastrophic_. The commander began to feel weak in the knees.

"Sir, we're being hailed!"

This was it...the moment of truth. Hackett knew he was about to make history, one way or the other, and honestly he didn't know if he was going to live in the next five minutes, let alone the next five days, months, or even years!

"Patch it through."

"This is Admiral Thomas Lasky of the UNSC/Separatist forces. We mean you know harm or hostile intent!"

* * *

And that's a wrap! What'd you think? Would you all rather me continue this or Paradigm Shifts?

Also, I need your help! You know about the Ghosts Sangheili that I mentioned? Here's your chance to create some of your own. I will pick the four best that I like and give a shout out/credit to those I pick. All I need is their name, a description (do they have scars, how tall they are, etc), a genuine personality, character history, and finally what form of combat they specialize in. Just about anything is fair game except ONE thing: they absolutely CANNOT hate humans. Can they have hated humans in the past? Sure, hell go into detail about what changed their opinion if you so choose, but they can't hate humans right now.

Codex:

YSS-2000 Katana: Developed in 2566 and entering service in March of 2570, the Katana is the intended replacement for the YSS-1000 Sabre and is intended to be a stealth Space superiority fighter. It has all of the capabilities of Sabre and some unique to itself. Approximately half of the Katanas in existence are onboard the UNSC Infinity with the other half remaining at Earth.

MA5E Hybrid Assault Rifle: Developed in 2560, the MA5E is the standard Assault Rifle for UNSC combat teams as of 2570. The rifle fires 7.62 rounds that have are coated with high heat plasma mere moments before they leave the barrel, creating a logical hybrid between the UNSC's kinetic weapons and the Covenants direct energy weapons. The MA5E can be adjusted so the encoded plasma is less "flashy" for stealth missions, but this weakens the overall stopping power in comparison.

NOBLE Team: Seeing as how he knew Reach would inevitably fall and the Spartans would be needed elsewhere, Admiral Whitcomb ordered NOBLE team off of Reach while he stayed behind. Unknowingly, the admiral's order had saved the Spartan's lives.

SUPERNOVA: An experimental Interstellar weapon. A 200 meter long missile that has a NOVA warhead and equipped with a slipspace drive. Modern NOVA warheads are now theoretically capable of blowing up entire star systems, and not just planets. These weapons are last resort and can only be used with expressed consent of HIGHCOM


	2. Alliances and Second Contact

_**Mass Effect: The New Journey **_

_Chapter Two: Alliances and Second Contact_

Wow! I most definitely did NOT expect the amount of reviews/follows/favs I got in the three days I posted TNJ. Hell, it got more follows than _Paradigm Shifts_ did in entire existence! I think the choice is clear: _Halo: Paradigm Shifts_ is_ officially_ abandoned and canceled entirely. If anyone wants to adopt it, just PM me and I'll give you all the details you'll need.

As for this story, as I said before in HPS, Mass Effect: The New Journey will not just be a Halo/Mass Effect crossover, but will also be a Titanfall crossover as well (elements of which you'll see in this chapter! :O!)

Again, I have to stressed I'm taking _**extreme**_ liberties with the events and of both canons for the sake A) Originality, B) Because it's fucking awesome and C) So you guys can be entertained and enjoy what you're reading. So, if you have a question of why this was changed there's your answer: because this isn't canon. Suck it up, _**deal with it**_, and just enjoy the copious amounts of badass.

First part of this chapter is to answer a lot of questions I've been getting in reviews in story form.

Disclaimer: I make no claim of anything except my own work. Mass Effect, Halo, and TitanFall are under the rights of Bioware, 343 Industries, and Respawn Entertainment, as well as the publishing rights of Electronic Arts, Microsoft Games Studios, and Activision, all respectively.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity, Sol System, 40,000 kilometers from Charon**

**September 17****th****, 2149 **

"Chief!"

He heard her say.

"Chief! Wake up!"

There it was again. The voice felt so familiar and yet so alien at the same time. He was in pain. Copious amounts of it in fact. The SPARTAN-II was slowly parting his eyelids, his eyes adjusting to the light.

"Chief! Come on!"

Who was she? Did he know her? Why was her voice practically in his head? He tried moving a finger. A twitch. A single twitch...but not full movement.

"John! I need you!"

In that single instant, _everything_ came back to him: Halsey at the playground in Elysium City, Seventy-Four other kids, Chief Mendez, Kelly, Sam, the augmentations, the Covenant, the Fall of Reach, the Ark, Johnson's sacrifice, Requiem, the Didact, and most of all...

"Cortana!" John exasperated out, retracting his helmet with a mental command and vomiting as if he had just been out of a cryotube. His face was covered again not even a second after he was done emptying the contents of his stomach.

"Oh, thank goodness," the AI spoke softly, the relief in her voice as clear as a summer day. "Your vitals were going weak and nothing I was doing to your armor was working—"

"Cortana..."

"I tried everything, rebooting your systems, your suits internal AED—" she continued on, unperturbed, either ignoring the commander or not even hearing him. John honestly couldn't tell which.

"Cortana..." John tried to interrupt again.

"Then your heart was weak and I kept calling you for what seemed like days and—"

"Cortana!" John spoke more sternly, finally getting his companion's attention. "I'm fine, okay, there's no need to—"

"I thought I lost you! _Again_!" the AI shouted back, not hiding any of her true emotions behind any wit or sarcasm. John was honestly a bit taken back. "I was just...so _scared_

John."

"I see," John held his head down a bit, in shame. "I'm sorry."

Cortana sighed. "Don't be. You know how I get sometimes," she smiled, adding a bit of humor to ease the tension.

John looked around. He was on the bridge of Infinity still, albeit in a slightly different area of it. Various crewmembers were awakening and picking themselves off the ground. The lights were dim, suggesting the ship was running on emergency power for the time being until the secondary reactors kicked back in. With those upgrades the UNSC provided two weeks ago, he hoped that was sooner rather than later. "Looks like I'm still on the bridge...was that a—"

"Vision? No. I saw everything, Chief," Cortana told him seriously.

"You saw? How?" John asked. He thought it was some kind of vision that he, Rtas, and Thel had shared collectively.

"Chief, Forthencho...he didn't just immobilize our fleet. He _transported_ the four of you simultaneously into another part of _his_ ship. I was in your suit at the time and I powered down my systems to where I could watch and listen. He then transported you back to Infinity where he knew—"

"The crew would be unconscious and wouldn't miss our absence until we came back," John finished. Trapping an _entire fleet_ in a constraint field and transporting four individuals within said fleet to his own ships without the crew being none the wiser? John would be telling a bold face lie if he said he wasn't impressed with the technological feats of the Ancient Human civilization.

"Go Chief, being all detective on me," she joked, chuckling.

"Cortana...this is serious."

"Yeah, I know, but we have a mission. I doubt we're getting home beforehand, so might as well make ourselves at home and do what we do best: win."

"Agreed," John picked himself up to see a slight injured Lasky at the holotable. Rtas and Thel had awakened as well and were helping their human allies, to their relief.

"Status report!" Lasky called out.

"Everyone's green, sir! We had some vehicles come out of their restraints, but nothing too serious. All personnel with injuries are being treated in the infirmary. They'll make a speedy recovery," Roland replied his hologram appearing.

"What about my fleet, construct?" the Arbiter inquired staring straight into the AI's face.

"Just a moment, Arbiter..." Roland said stoically as he contacted the _Shadow of Intent_, _Steeple of Ascent_, and the _Baptism of Fire._ His expression became a bit doleful. "I'm sorry, Arbiter, but it seems there are some plenty of injuries in your fleet. Some worst than others apparently."

"Go, Arbiter, I'll send a team of medics, ASAP," Lasky vowed, staring at the Sangheili.

"Of course. Thank you, Admiral," the arbiter replied gratefully, beating his chest in respect for their human allies.

"When the situation has calmed down, I propose a meeting, in private. We have much to discuss about what we do moving forward," Rtas suggested in a way to not give any cause of suspicion among any eavesdroppers.

"Very well," Lasky agreed. "My quarters should be a good place for privacy." He looked to the Commander, who simply nodded in acquiescence.

"Until then, Admiral." With a beat of their chests, both Sangheili exited the bridge, headed for their docked Phantom and departed for the _Shadow of Intent_. John made his way down to the S-deck to check upon his Spartan brothers and sisters.

Lasky sighed. Long-term deployments he could totally handle, but _lifetime_ ones? Some cosmic god must _really_ hate him.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity, Sol System, 40,000 kilometers from Charon**

**September 18****th****, 2149**

Ten hours had passed total since the joint fleet had arrived the new galaxy. Though there were little, if any, major casualties, a lot of equipment did get damaged, and were in need of critical repairs. It didn't matter: that what maintenance crews were for and it did give some of the ship something to keep their minds off things. Lasky was pleased they were showing discipline and not being chaotic. He had enough problems to deal with.

Thel, John, Rtas, Lasky, Roland, and Cortana were in Lasky's quarters, the room being spacious enough for a HIGHCOM gathering, let alone just for four beings plus two smart AI. They all sat around a holotable similar to the one on the bridge, but less advanced due to its uses not being as strenuous.

"Before we begin, Roland, are you absolutely sure that this room is tight?" Lasky asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, Admiral. I've swept this room a total of 18,648 times. The chances of what's being discussed in this room being found out by anyone are _zero_."

"Good. What do you have for us, Cortana?"

Cortana brought up a map of the Sol System. "Infinity's new scanners really come in handy. Anyhow, your eyes don't deceive you. Outside of a few of the planets not lining up on our elliptical path...this system is an exact copy of ours. We're near one of Pluto's moons, Charon." She then brought up the 3D image of Earth.

Lasky narrowed his eyes. "Even the damn continents look the same. Christ."

"How is this possible? I've had many coincidences in my life as a warrior, but this is...unsettling," Rtas commented, staring at the plane he almost glassed eighteen years ago.

"Well...not exactly," Roland jumped in. "If you'll remember fleet master, there are hundreds of millions of galaxies in the observable universe. The number of planets and systems may be incalculable. Some scientists in the 21st century theorized that given the same or similar circumstances, an exact copy of our solar system _could_ be anywhere in the universe. Lo and behold, we prove their theory right, some five hundred years later."

"Well, we're here now. We have a task and we won't get home until it's completed."

"The Spartan is correct, we have important matters to discuss. This could potentially be a lifelong journey," said Thel, leaning on his mandibles.

"Of which brings up an important question, Arbiter. We know there are...other humans in this galaxy. The Ancient said so and we see the definitive proof with our preliminary scanning. That being said...we can't afford to send your warriors on too many missions, with your entire male population and—"

Thel held his hand up, complete confusion evident on his face. "Wait, Admiral, what are you talking about? Entire male population?"

"Yes...? Sangheili only allows its males to serve in the military, which prompted my—"

"Where did you get _that_ idea in your head?" Rtas asked, slightly insulted at the idea, but let it slide on the account that the human was only ignorant.

"Admiral, I'll have you know that the Shipmaster of the _Steeple of Ascent_, our is, in fact, _female_. She's the third highest ranking Sangheili in the _Fleet of Glorious Repentance_ after Rtas and myself," Thel explained to the shock of everyone else in the room.

"Okay, _totally_ didn't see that one coming," Cortana admitted privately to John. Half of her was still in his suit.

"I thought Sangheili had forbidden females from serving."

Rtas gave the elite equivalent of a snort. "There is _no_ law forbidding any females from joining our ranks. A warrior is a warrior in the eyes of the Sangheili, but most females of our race simply _choose_not to serve, even though all Sangheili are trained to fight and defend themselves. After the Covenant fractured, as you know, we were a bit lost, and some of the females had to pick up some slack. It started a movement where more females joined our ranks on the battlefield in destroying the Storm, earning our respect. They've been an active part of our forces for over 15 years now. One in every three Sangheili who volunteered to be a part of this fleet was female, to make up for the wrongdoings of their husbands and mates. They were gladly accepted. There's no gender discrimination in our race, we value strength, courage, and honor, regardless of where it comes from."

"Huh, how about that?" Lasky whistled. Well, that was one less problem they had to deal with.

"See, Chief? You learn something everyday when _I'm _around."

"Cortana..."

"Right. Sorry. Anyhow...?"

"So, we essentially have to, excuse me for being blunt here, uplift this galaxy's humans technological level enough for them to take over this galaxy unopposed?" Roland asked, making sure his logic algorithms were still functioning.

"Essentially, yes."

"Hmm..." The AI thought to himself. "I think I might have some solutions."

"We're all ears, Roland. At this point, I'm willing to do anything to get us back home."

"I propose we give the technology to them in doses...tiers if you will. Not giving them, everything that we know all at once. Some areas here, some areas there, but not currently."

"And what exactly does that accomplish, construct?" Rtas asked.

"It's both for our own safety and for a way for these humans to "feel" as if they "earned" it," Roland explained.

"Our own safety? What would we have to fear?"

"Well I'm glad you asked, Arbiter!" he quipped, puffing his chest out. Lasky rolled his eyes at his antics. "Think about it...we don't know how these humans will react to our presence. We can guess, but ultimately, we won't know for sure. But, lets back up and assume the best case scenario: they welcome us with open arms...at least the ones who know we're here to guide them that is—I'll get to that point in a second—and we start showing them slipspace drives, MAC guns, Archer missiles, medic tech, etc. Who's to say it'll stay that way for however long we'll be here? What if their leaders get new management and aren't as...welcoming?"

"I see," Thel replied. "You want to keep them at a level consistently below our current capabilities in case they turn on us, however low that chance may be in reality? But given our circumstances, you're not willing to risk anything."

Roland nodded. "Indeed. This is both to cover our asses and to make them think they are advancing on their own."

"A solid plan, Roland. I like it. However, what do we do to "push" them along so to speak?" Lasky further probed the AI.

"The humans in our galaxy were an innovative bunch. I doubt a few million light-years is going to change _that_ aspect of your species."

Cortana brought up some schematics and then played the recording of Forthencho's voice. "He mentioned something about us preventing them from requiring a 'primitive' technology compared to our own that would lead them to a path of 'stagnation'...whatever that means."

"Need I remind you that you humans with your so called _inferior_ technology manage to _survive_ engaging the Covenant for thirty years," Rtas reminded every one of them.

"You sound like you have a plan," John noted, speaking up after awhile of silent listening.

The Spec Ops commander put a finger to a mandible, as if in deep thought. "Perhaps...you humans are innovative. That much is certain. That's an area where my people pale in comparison to yours." Lasky and John kept a stoic face at the praise. "However...we shouldn't just dismiss this unknown technology, just yet. Perhaps study it...learn from it...adapt it...combine it with ours."

Both of Lasky's eyebrows shot up. "Interesting idea. I approve. We'll guide them to ours, but we won't let them think ours is the only tech we should use." Forthencho's words echoed in his mind _' a path to stagnation..._'.

"I approve as well. Admiral Lasky, do you have any ideas of your own?"

"I do," Lasky replied with a nod and stood up. "We can't join them...or at least not officially, nor can we replace UNSC culture with their own. Now, obviously, things like slavery, racism, sexism and all that don't apply, but at its core they still need to be...whatever these humans call themselves. So no...we're just going to be military and scientific advisers, along with being allies. Nothing more and nothing less."

"Admiral, I think you and I think alike more than you like to admit," Roland smirked. "Cause your plans perfectly aligned with mine."

"How?"

"Well, they said they were on an eve of a discovery of acquiring technology that was heavily implied to allow them to traverse the stars. Now if humanity were smart, which it's proven time and time again that it has, they'll have a single government organization in space, at least to represent them. Whether or not the nations on earth are sovereign or not is irrelevant, as we only need to concern ourselves with the potential supranational organization that is this humanity's military, scientific, and political representative in the stars. I propose we meet the top brass of this organization and we tell them everything."

Lasky narrowed his eyes. "Everything? The fuck do you mean, _everything_?"

Ignoring the Admiral's brief lapse in decorum aside, Roland explained, "Now, now, there's no need for foul language Admiral. Just hear me out, okay? Think about it, sir. We have a fleet that consists of tens of thousands of troops and thousands of vehicles. Not to mention, half of the fleet are _humans from another galaxy_. Based on that Ancient Humans words he implied that the humans haven't left the Sol System. If you were the average citizen and Infinity and her fleet of humans just showed up, you were a rational person wouldn't alarm bells be set off almost _immediately_? Especially considering that, again, they were going to discover different tech than us, we have ship designs that are probably entirely different than what they have currently. It took us six hundred years to get to the level to build a six-kilometer ship. Do you really think they'll buy that we're just some secret part of their civilization no one knew about until we recently decided to show ourselves? We don't have to tell them we were tasked to guide them at all, but we can propose an alliance like you said."

It was then Lasky caught on to what Roland was getting at. "You want us to meet with the top brass so they keep the fact that we're from another galaxy top secret need-to -know."

"You hit the jackpot, Admiral!" Roland grinned, giving him a quick salute.

"Sorry to say, Roland. But they won't keep Infinity a secret for long. Questions will be asked," Cortana crossed her arms.

"Not necessarily," said John, disagreeing. "Once we get the alliance and they start building ships like us, we won't stand out as much. However, Infinity can remain a secret weapon, while our other cruisers may assist them in some things, seeing as we don't have the manpower to take on the galaxy." He looked to the Elites. "Rtas. Thel. You and the rest of the Sangheili going to have to be the face to the public."

"I do not understand, Spartan," Rtas admitted.

"Until a certain time period passes, the Infinity and its humans can't be known to exist outside of our hypothetical "top brass", because they will put two and two together. If they meet you, aliens, and see that you're friendly and only want to help..." he let it hang in the air. "Once it's safe enough to go public without questions being asked, then we can simply pretend to be apart of this organization where only a handful know the actual truth. We then guide this humanity to the right path, succeed, and then we all go home."

Rtas and Thel looked at each other and both nodded. "Very well, we'll do what we can."

"Well, we're about to find out. Admiral, sensors just picked up a single ship, frigate class by our standards. Within the next ten minutes they'll know there's an entire fleet outside of Pluto," Roland reported. He was both at the bridge and the meeting simultaneously.

Lasky stood up. "Then lets get it done people. We don't have much time. You know the plan. We'll make the rest of it up as we go along."

Everyone stood up and while John and Lasky returned to Infinity's bridge, Rtas and Thel went back to the _Shadow of Intent_. John silently prayed that his coveted luck could be distributed fleet wide.

"They're in visual range, sir. No doubt they see us," Roland called out as Lasky came up on the bridge. "Hail them."

"Aye aye. You're broadcasting on all known frequencies. Good luck, sir."

Taking a deep breath, Lasky said eighteen words that would forever change the galaxy. "This is Admiral Thomas Lasky of the UNSC/Separatist forces. We mean you no harm or hostile intent!"

John prayed that his coveted luck would be shined on the entire fleet.

* * *

**SSV Einstein, Sol System, near Pluto **

**September 18****th****, 2149**

The broadcast came over the speakers as everyone on the Einstein waited with a baited breath. "_This is Admiral Thomas Lasky of the UNSC/Separatist forces. We mean you no harm or hostile intent!"_

Cheers erupted throughout the entire ship and Hackett would've joined them in a heartbeat, had he not an image to keep up. Didn't stop him from having a shit-eating grin on his face, though. Crisis averted!

"This is Lieutenant Commander Steven Hackett of the Human Systems Alliance on board the SSV _Einstein_. Thank you, Admiral, for being non-hostile. If may ask...what's the name of your species? I'm sure there is a lot the human race can learn from you," he spoke diplomatically.

"_I see. Commander...there's a lot you'll need to know. But I have to ask. Can the people of your crew keep a secret?"_

Hackett's faced traced confusion, wondering why in particular he would want to know that? He looked around at the young officers and enlisted personnel looking at him for leadership. They all silently nodded, very seriously. He returned the gesture, believing in them as they were believing in him, now.

"They can, Admiral. Why?"

"_Because commander...the name of my species...is human. I come from a galaxy far, far away. We are of the same species." _

Hackett's eyes widened and the Alliance commander nearly lost his footing. "You...what?! That's...not..." Hackett could barely find the words to contain his shock.

As if to further prove the point home, Lasky's real time image appeared on the vid screen, proving without a shadow-of-a-doubt that his words were true.

"I...see," Hackett swallowed hard, trying to gain his bearing. "How is this possible?"

"_All will be explained in due time. But, I need you to do something for me." _

Hackett stared at the UNSC officer. "What, pray tell, would that be?"

"_This...Systems Alliance. I assume it's your government? Or at least the one that represents you in space?" _

"It is," the commander confirmed.

"_How fast can you get your top leaders and Alliance officers here? It's imperative that you tell them they need to maintain __**absolute**__ secrecy. We wish to negotiate an alliance." _

"Wait, "we"? Who else is there besides—"

"_That would be us, commander_," came the voice of Thel Vadam as his image on his throne in the _Shadow of Intent_ appeared in split screen, to the left of a stoic Lasky. "_My name is Thel Vadam. This is my ship, the Shadow of Intent, and the name of my species is Sangheili. We are allied with the UNSC and Admiral Lasky." _

Hackett caught his breath, flummoxed at seeing a live _alien_. Hannah's jaw dropped. She was sitting here watching history unfold!

"_Look, commander, we don't have much time. I know our sudden being here is huge shock but the fact remains: we need to meet with the Systems Alliance ASAP!"_

Hackett nodded, getting serious. These aliens wanted peace and an alliance. A First Contact scenario_ couldn't_ go any better even under ideal situations. "Very well. I'll get a hold of my superiors. You should know something within the hour. Hackett out."

"Sir...excuse me if I'm out of line, but I think I speak for everyone when I say: Holy. Fucking. _Shit." _

Hackett actually gave a chuckle. "Hannah, believe me. I feel the exact same way. Anyhow, we have to get word back to HQ. You have the bridge." The commander retreated back to his quarters.

* * *

**Armstrong Station, Geosynchronous Orbit above Earth, Sol System**

**September 18****th****, 2149**

Director Miles Xavier, Commander-in-Chief of the Systems Alliance military and Director of Alliance Extraterrestrial affairs, sat in his office in Armstrong station above earth. He was a tall, dark skinned man, bald, and in perfect physical health, judging from his moderately muscular physique. The only hair on his face was the goatee connected to his mustache, which he always kept clean. He was only in his late 30s, but he was a decorated military officer from the United Kingdom, where his parents emigrated from the United States, when he was barely eight years old. He never could get rid of his American accent.

The man was a born leader and always took charge, mostly subconsciously, when the opportunity presented itself. He graduated high school at the age of seventeen and joined the University Air Squadron unit in London. He graduated at the top of his class with ease. Xavier ended up being the youngest ever Air Commodore in the UK's history during times of peace, and headed the expedition to Mars to investigate the year before. Once the alien ruins were found, he and some of his fellow officers drew up plans for the Systems Alliance, which were readily accepted by Earth's nations. However, the Alliance needed a leader someone bold who they knew could take humanity further when no one else could: the decision was unanimous.

"Ah, memories," Xavier remarked, nostalgically. He turned in his chair and stood to stare at Earth. '_What a beautiful planet,'_ he thought giving a small smile.

His personal intercom system went off suddenly, to his surprise. It was near the end of the work day, usually he got very few personally calls at this point. He pressed a button and spoke. "Director Xavier, here."

"Sir, I have a priority message from Commander Hackett. He says its urgent," his secretary told him.

Commander Hackett? Gone for not even half a day and already he had a message? Steven sure did work fast. "How urgent?" He asked, a bit disinterested.

"He told me to tell you it's an '0-8-4' message and to contact him personally before you do anything...eh, whatever that means." It was clear the secretary had no idea of certain terminology used by the Systems Alliance

Xavier was suddenly more awake than at any point in time in his entire life. His eyes widened to their greatest extent. "Miss Lance, take the day off and contact the Chiefs. Tell them I'm giving them a _direct order_ to get their asses to Armstrong station in the next hour or so help me _God,_ I'll have them _all_ replaced without shedding a tear."

"Ye-yes sir!" she stuttered a bit. She had never seen the director so completely serious.

Satisfied that his order would be carried out, the Director gathered his things and went to his quarters and then sealed the room tight. Pressing some icons on a touch screen a computerized voice said, "Identify yourself."

" Director Miles Andre Xavier, Systems Alliance, access code 383271."

"Identity confirmed. Alpha encryption protocols now enabled. Setting up...three...two...one. Connection secure. Whom would you like to contact Director?"

"Lieutenant Commander Steven Hackett, SSV Einstein."

"Affirmative, Director. Standby."

Xavier went to parade rest and waited. Within ten seconds, Steven Hackett's face appeared on screen, on the most secure channel in human space. The commander immediately saluted. "Director Xavier, sir!"

Xavier saluted back, professionally, and then got deathly serious. "You mind telling me what in the blazes of fuck is going out there, Commander? You had better have a _damn good_ reason for why I shouldn't have had the entire planet go on lockdown and full alert, because I would've had you not _specifically_ told me not too."

Hackett sighed, expecting this. "Sir, are we using a secure line, because what I'm about to tell you absolutely cannot be leaked out at all costs."

"We are, Commander. This channel has encryption protocols that would take supercomputers days to break. Now, cut to the chase. You called an'0-8-4', which is code for another alien civilization. What are we dealing with?"

"Sir, the aliens we're dealing with...are humans who claim to be from another galaxy who allied with another species who call themselves Sangheili," Hackette said bluntly.

Xavier was taken back. "I...what?! Is this some idea of a joke Commander? Because if it—"

"Sir, does THIS look like a joke to you?!" Hackett practically roared back. The screen went split screen in three ways: One showing his real-time conversation with Hackett, one showing the UNSC/Separatist fleet, and the last one showing the recorded conversation with Admiral Lasky and the Arbiter.

Like Hannah, Xavier's eyes went wide as saucers. "Hu...Humans...and..." Eyeing that large armada make Xavier feel very small. That fleet would roll through humanity's current defenses with laughable ease and be back in time for dinner! Four black ships looked to be at least six kilometers long, three of which were of the same design, while the other one...he shuddered.

"Who else knows about this?"

"Aside from my crew, you, director are the only person who knows that there's an alien fleet parked practically at our doorstep. Admiral Lasky asked to meet with you and the Chiefs to forge an alliance. He asked that you keep the meeting entirely secret."

Lasky? So...that must've been the name of the human who undoubtedly was the leader of that flagship. Humans...from another _galaxy_. If Xavier hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he probably would've removed Hackett from command just for the sheer absurdity. "Commander are you sure we can trust them? What if it's a trap?"

"Director, with all due respect, I know you have a trait of looking at every possibility for deceit, but that's an absurd question. These ships look like they can probably nuke our planet back to the Stone Age and they know it. If we were in their position, would you bother with trickery and deception when annihilating us would get the job done much quicker?"

Grunting, the black UK citizen conceded to his point.

Xavier nodded. "I see. Good work, Commander. I don't know what you said, but humanity might owe you the biggest favor in the galaxy. I'll see you soon. Xavier, out." The connection cut off not even a second later.

Sitting down and rubbing his temples he reached over and poured a shot of vodka. God, he was going to need it.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity, Sol System, 40,000 kilometers from Charon**

**September 18****th****, 2149**

Admiral Lasky paced back and forth on Infinity's bridge, anxiety and uncertainty swelling up from within him. He felt someone grip his shoulder from behind. He gazed back to see Captain Palmer, her face traced with worry.

"Tom..." she spoke softly. "Please...calm down. For me?" she begged.

"I can't, Sarah. I have tens of thousands under my command that I have to look out for. They need me to stay strong."

"You don't have to take on this whole responsibility on your own you know?"

"I know, but—"

"Admiral Lasky! The Alliance is hailing us."

"Patch it through, Roland."

Commander Hackett's face appeared, stoic as always. "Admiral Lasky, I've done as you requested. My superiors should be on their way, double time. Where do you want us to have negotiations?"

Lasky gave Hackett and easy smile, pleased at their plan was working, so far at least. "That's good to hear, Commander. As for negotiations...why not your ship? You're already making history, why not go all the way?"

Chuckling, the Alliance officer nodded. "I suppose you're right. Very well. I'll have everything set up. I'm pretty sure I don't have to ask if you have dropships that can dock do you?" he inquired semi-rhetorically, smirking a bit.

Lasky returned the expression. "I guess I got a couple."

"Good. I'll see you soon, Admiral." The connection was cut.

"They seem like ol' pals," Cortana remarked inside John's helmet.

"Probably due to the fact that they're both Human," John replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Commander, Captain, you're coming with me to provide security," Lasky ordered both senior officers. John and Palmer both nodded.

"Security, huh? What? You think we'll get in trouble?" Palmer teased, slightly laughing.

"You can never be too careful."

Now that was something the commander agreed with wholeheartedly.

* * *

**SSV Armstrong, En-Route to Pluto**

**September 18****th****, 2149**

The SSV Armstrong pushed its ion engines to the limit as the delegated ship made its way to Pluto. Director Xavier sat in a room with four other figures at a table. They were: General Nikolai Dragovich, a Russian-born Chief of the Systems Alliance Marine Corps, Admiral James Ashdown, Chief of Naval Operations, General Gabriel Hernandez, Chief of Logistics and Exploration Corps, and finally, Admiral Sayuri Ishigami, Chief of OAI or the Office of Alliance Intelligence.

Collectively, the people in this room were unofficially considered to be the most powerful humans in existence with an _absurd_ amount of power and political influence. They were Joint Chiefs of Alliance Operations, or the "Chiefs" as they were referred to in Alliance jargon.

"Director Xavier, my friend, what is this all about?" Dragovich asked in a thick Russian accent, resisting the urge to light up his cigar, knowing it was expressly against Alliance regulations. "I was in middle of good rest before you called me up here threatening to replace me if I didn't."

"Yes, Director, I agree with the General. You don't call all four of us unless it's important." Despite her first language being Japanese, Admiral Ishigami's English was pitch perfect, with little traces of her accent slipping through. She gave the Director a small glare. Lesser men would've been extremely fearful of the admiral, but he wasn't in the slightest. He controlled _her,_ not the other way around, like some weak dog. The woman was dangerous, he knew for a fact, but he couldn't deny that no one did Intelligence quite like she did. So he kept her on a tight, but long leash.

Admiral Ashdown and General Hernandez chose not to comment feeling Ishigami and Dragovich had said enough.

"I'll be blunt and get straight to the point. Commander Hackett has asked us to meet at Pluto because we have an '0-8-4' situation on our hands."

If the situation weren't so serious, Xavier probably would've spent days guffawing. Color drained from their faces as all of them went pale, including Ishigami.

Ashdown rose from his seat. "An 0-8-4?! Why the hell isn't Earth on full alert and we're not at full scale mobiliza—"

"Admiral_**, sit down**_," Xavier said forcibly, narrowing his eyes. He was not in the mood to deal with stupidity. "Do you really think I would call you all the way here in a situation like this, if everything weren't under control?" Their silence told all. "What I'm about to reveal to you absolutely will not leave this room with the consequences of not heeding that will be death: do I make myself clear?" All four of them nodded, if a bit uneasily. The director was usually laid back and a bit easy going, but now...

It was then that the Director had told them everything that Commander Hackett had relayed to them. To say they were stunned would've been putting it lightly. But soon shock was replaced with excitement and opportunity, especially Ishigami. She couldn't wait to meet these humans.

* * *

It was only a few hours later that the Armstrong had arrived near the edge of the Sol System. Admiral Ashdown was practically drooling at the sight of seeing the UNSC _Infinity_, his reaction being more in an "_**I want one**_!" type of way, rather than shock or fear. General Hernandez was intrigued more so on the feasibility and how they managed to build such a gargantuan ship. Dragovich was impressed, truly, but he wanted to see how these humans stacked up to _his_ marines. Admiral Ishigami had a huge smirk on her face as her conniving mind started to think of numerous plans.

Director Xavier whistled in awe. "It's one thing seeing a picture, but seeing it up close? Well, I'll be dammed."

Receiving instructions from Hackett, the Armstrong linked up with the Einstein and Xavier and his subordinates disembarked where the Alliance Commander and Hannah Shepard were waiting in parade rest. Both went to attention and gave them a crisp salute, which all five returned with equal sharpness simultaneously.

"Welcome aboard the _SSV Einstein_, sirs, ma'am," Hackett spoke professionally. Hannah would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous. These people were the top brass who controlled the Alliance for God's sake!

"At ease commander, ensign" Xavier ordered. Steven immediately relaxed his posture and stretched some muscles.

"Our guests should be arriving shortly, ensign, could you show the Director to the conference room?"

"Aye, sir," Hannah obeyed, saluting her superior and leading Xavier and the Chiefs to the delegation room that was set up prior to their arrival.

Now, all Hackett could do was wait.

* * *

Inside the UNSC Infinity's main bay a Pelican was being prepped for departure to the rendezvous point. After getting the go ahead, the dropship rose from the ground and sped out past the atmospheric barriers, heading straight for the _Einstein_.

"Cortana, you've already infiltrated their systems, yes?" Lasky asked the AI looking directly at John-117.

"Of course. To say their computer technology is primitive is mild understatement. It only took me five seconds to have pretty much every piece of information that's stored in bits," Cortana replied, speaking through John's external speakers.

"Wait, they're still using binary code?" Palmer gaped in surprise. The UNSC stopped using binary code for computers after the Rainforest Wars, which were practically ages as far the Captain was concern.

"While not quite the binary we're used to, the principle is still the same. Even the dumbest UNSC AI would run marathons around their systems. There's no reason to carry any weapons on board either. None of the crew has the capability to take on a Marine, let alone a Spartan or Sangheili. You'll be safe. Trust me." John grunted at that. Being unarmed left him the same feeling of being without his armor: naked and vulnerable. Even still, his trust in Cortana was absolute, so he accepted her judgment without a second thought.

"Anything else of note? Military capability? We have to know what we're working with here, construct," Rtas asked, softly.

"No. Not really. There's nothing really of note that you don't know already. But I say it's best to remain ignorant for now."

"It seems we have arrived," the Arbiter noted, and then turned to the SPARTAN-II. "Are you ready for this, John?"

John gave a huff, amused. "Grand entrance?"

"You're already one, Spartan."

"Did...did the Arbiter just make a good comeback? Oh, man, we really ARE in another galaxy, Chief!" John smacked his helmet. Cortana only grinned ear-to-ear.

The Pelican docked with the Einstein and the UNSC/Separatists went over last minute details, careful to leave out specifics Palmer wouldn't ever know about. The pilot was ordered on standby and the five disembarked inside the airlock. There was a mist that was obviously used for decontamination. Lasky found the mist oddly sweet tasting. He straightened up his uniform. A computerized voice told them that the mist had done its job. The airlock opened and they stepped inside.

* * *

One had to give Commander Hackett some credit. Despite meeting a faction of humanity that was from another galaxy, he was keeping it together remarkably well. His eyes went to the two Sangheili. He had to admit, he was intrigued, if not a bit intimidated. Both were well over eight feet tall, towering over him with ease. Their entire bodies were covered in a type of armor, silver and black for Rtas, and Thel's armor was undoubtedly ceremonial, due to how radically different it was compared to the other Sangheili. Hackett found the four mandibles fascinating for one simple reason: he quietly wanted to know how on _earth_ they chewed their food.

What really caught his attention were Captain Palmer and John. The former was about ten inches taller than he was, which—a fact that he wouldn't admit to anyone—slightly unnerving to the officer. She was attractive in the Commander's eyes, but not even close to Hannah. John was even taller than her and his armor looked like he could take a tank canon at point blank range and still keep going. Either way, Hackett knew the man was extremely dangerous.

"Commander Hackett, glad we could meet," Lasky said smiling, reaching out for a handshake, which the commander shook firmly.

"As well as I, Admiral Lasky. I'll be frank, my crew practically had a heart attack when they saw your fleet."

"Don't worry, commander. We're here to help," Lasky replied. '_In more ways than one.' _

"Follow me," Hackett commanded, turning around and walking away. "My superiors are inside the conference room."

Lasky and the others followed without a second thought. John took the time to scan his surroundings. This ship was small, ridiculously so. Not even ONI Prowlers gave him such a feeling of claustrophobia, even if such a fear was supposed to be suppressed if not outright ignored due to his Spartan training. His armor was taking in every detail of the ship and resisted the urge to shake his head in disbelief. He understood that they had just discovered alien life less than a year ago, but this ships' armor was pitiful. They'd definitely have to fix that once they showed them how to synthesize Titanium A3. The supersoldier just prayed that this Sol System had an Ort Cloud equivalent. The UNSC still was using resources from it to this day, despite discovering it after the Rainforest Wars. It'd be invaluable in building up a suitable Navy and colony ships for the Systems Alliance.

Even though it was unspoken, it was pretty much a given that the Alliance needed to build a Super Soldier program in the same vein as the SPARTAN-IVs. Although the IVs were great soldiers, due to being trained since childhood, they'd likely never close the gap in skill and experience the SPARTAN-IIs and the SPARTAN-IIIs had. Considering their relatively peaceful history it was unlikely that they'd be willing to abduct children and turn them into soldiers. Adult volunteers would have to do. They couldn't rely on the UNSC Spartans forever in whatever galactic wars they might face in the future. They simply didn't have the manpower.

Cortana had also briefly mentioned of creating the Systems Alliance version of the ODST. She was stingy on details that she kept to herself, which was fine with John. He had a more pressing issue at hand: getting the Systems Alliance to ally with the Joint Fleet.

They finally went into a room where the doors slid apart letting them through. Xavier and his Chiefs were sitting at a large circular table with five empty chairs on the side facing them. Wasting no time the three humans and two Sangheili sat down, thankful that they held firm even with their armor. John noted at how...used...to their appearance they were. Somehow the novelty of seeing aliens must've wore off on their journey. Hackett stood behind Xavier at parade rest.

"Thank you for agreeing to come on such short notice Director..." Lasky trailed off, mentally kicking himself for not asking Hackett his name.

"Xavier. Miles Xavier, Admiral," the dark skinned Alliance leader told him, his tone friendly, if a bit casual. "These are my colleagues and subordinates: General Dragovich Chief of Marine Corp, Admiral James Ashdown, Chief of Naval Operations, General Gabriel Hernandez, Chief of Logistics and Exploration Corps, and finally, Admiral Sayuri Ishigami, Chief of OAI or the Office of Alliance Intelligence."

Internally, John, Lasky, and Palmer immediately went on guard at the mere mention of Ishigami. Lasky narrowed his eyes at the woman, ever so slightly. Rtas and Thel were indifferent, in all honesty.

"I don't trust her, John," Cortana told him seriously. "She reminds me of Parangosky."

"Agreed," John replied softly so he wouldn't be overheard.

"I see. As you know, I'm Admiral Thomas Lasky of the UNSC Infinity, these are my allies, Thel 'Vadum, and Rtas 'Vadum of the Sangheili. The two in the armor are Sarah Palmer, and Commander John-117."

'_117? Is that a code? Why doesn't he have a surname? Special unit perhaps?' _Xavier thought, analyzing John, subtly. '_Armor...abnormal human height and physique...'_

his eyes widened ever so slightly in realization. John was a super soldier. Just what in the blazes of hell were they dealing with here?!

"Admiral, I'm going to be completely honest: you had a lot of folks frightened when we discovered your presence above Pluto. Were it not for Commander Hackett here, twelve billion people would be in a state of mass panic. If your intentions are indeed peaceful, claims you've so far lived up too, why did you request myself and my chiefs in absolute secrecy?"

"Director, we're from another galaxy. Humans, from another galaxy, to be more specific. We wish to ally with the Systems Alliance, but not join it."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to ally with us?" Xavier had long accepted that these humans were being truthful being from another galaxy, as the Alliance didn't have ships or even _plans_ that came even a tenth of what he was seeing outside the window.

It was Thel who spoke, his deep voice echoing throughout the room, commanding respect. "Human, you may be technologically inferior, that much may be a fact, but even we can't survive out here on our own. We have limited numbers that can't be replaced easily, if at all. Allying with you is that best bet."

"I see," Ishigami replied. "Tell me something, Admiral Lasky. Is the reason you kept this meeting secret is so that no one would ask questions when your human fleet, which I presume are the giant box ships that are painted jet black, shows up in the future?"

"You're a sharp woman, Admiral Ishigami," Lasky complemented sincerely. Honestly, he was glad he didn't have to explain too much. The plan was crazy, but it was their best shot.

"So...I'm assuming that the Systems Alliance will benefit from such a partnership with you?" Admiral Ashdown asked leaning forward, praying silently to god it meant what he hoped it meant.

"Yes, Admiral. We have scientists on board the _UNSC Infinity_ and _Shadow of Intent_. As well as certain technological innovations that would prove most useful to advancing Systems Alliance, including a method of travelling Faster-Than-Light," Lasky said, dropping a huge bombshell.

Every single one of their eyes widened in shock. Lasky smirked a bit: he had them. Now he just had to reel them in, bit-by-bit.

"Here are the facts, Director, General, Admirals and I'll keep this brief: We were on a joint deployment and we came across an Artifact. We didn't know what it did and while we were investigating, the artifact locked down our systems and we were transported here. Our star charts indicated that were in another galaxy not of our own. Our ships can travel at over 600 LY per day and we didn't grow old so I'm guessing the artifact did something," Lasky explained through half-truths.

Rtas had to admit; he was impressed with Admiral Lasky. That last part was a bold face lie. The UNSC Infinity had Forerunner drives and could travel 2000 LY per day. 600 was a complete joke by modern standards. But they didn't have to know that...

"Director Xavier," Rtas picked up using the human's name to appear more personable. "We are trying to get home as well as keep our warriors safe. Admiral Lasky, as Admiral Ishigami has already pointed out, cannot reveal his fleet to your humanity for reasons already addressed, but..."

"But the _Sangheili_ can," General Hernandez said catching on.

"Ha! You make brilliant offer my friend!" Dragovich grinned, leaning back. "We take you back to Earth, prove existence of aliens and are friendly, no human question where get good technology from, yes? Very, very clever."

Ishigami narrowed her eyes a bit. "Why are you just so willing to give us your technology or at least how it works so...easily? You almost make it sound like it's your mission to do so."

It took everything in Lasky's power to keep a stoic face. "Admiral Ishigami, think about it. Yes, we _could_ very well take over your planet with ease, likely just from bombing you from orbit. Honestly, there wouldn't be a _damn thing_ you could do to stop us. But where would that leave us? No allies, surviving with few resources, travelling from system to system only to die in vain. The galaxy is a dangerous place. Do you really want us to just leave you be and hope you don't run into a bunch of trigger happy aliens who just want to either keep humanity in their place or outright destroy you? Or would you accept our help and come on to the galactic stage with a—excuse me for being blunt—with a big fucking stick taking jack shit from no one?"

"HA! I love this guy! Blunt and to the point, just like in Mother Russia!" Dragovich was obviously pleased with the idea.

Xavier looked at the rest of the chiefs. They all nodded to him and he turned back to the UNSC and Separatists. The Director gave a grin. "When do we start?"

Palmer, despite not saying anything throughout the entire meeting, allowed a small bit of smugness to show. Lasky smiled. They had them. "Cortana, if you will?"

John took off a piece of his armor, sat it on the table, and her holographic form appeared. "Hello, Director Xavier. My name is Cortana, UNSC Smart AI, serial number CTN 0452-9 at your service."

"You're...an artificial intelligence?!" Ishigami blinked, bewildered. Humanity had been trying for a hundred years to create AI without a single breakthrough!

Xavier groaned a bit. Yeah. He was _definitely_ going to need a drink after this meeting.

* * *

Timeline:

_September 20th, 2149: A secret alliance is formed between the Joint Fleet and the Human Systems Alliance. The UNSC Infinity and her fleet are deemed classified beyond Top Secret. The UNSC fleet is independent from the alliance, yet in times of war can come under the command of the Systems Alliance in emergency situations and to maintain their cover. Commander Hackett is promoted to Captain for his role in Humanity's first contact with aliens. Captain's Hackett's crew on the Einstein is sworn to absolute secrecy. The Charon Relay is essentially an afterthought._

_September 21st 2149: It is jointly decided when the UNSC fleet goes public in the coming years, the UNSC fleet with change their ship prefixes to "SSV" to maintain the illusion of being of Alliance origin._

_September 30th 2149: The Fleet of Glorious Repentance, as planned, appears publicly to humanity as a whole. Their presence is met with overwhelming positive reaction and propaganda makes the Systems Alliance more popular around the entire world._

_October 18th, 2149: The Systems Alliance budget grows over fifty times its current size. UNSC scientists meet with Alliance scientists and teach them the principles of Slipspace technology. Sangheili are there to 'assist'._

_October 24th, 2149: The first Systems Alliance AI comes online with the help of the UNSC. Orders and contracts are ordered for AIs to be mass-produced where only "smart" ones are reserved for military use only._

_Halloween, 2149: The Systems Alliance completes its first slipspace drive. The ship, the SSV Aldine, makes a jump to Pluto and arrives in approximately thirty seconds._

_December 1st 2149: An Ort Cloud is discovered in the Sol System containing massive amounts of resources._

_December 7th, 2149: The successful jump to Pluto prompts massive contracts to upcoming corporations to build ships. The Ort Cloud provides resources as the Systems Alliance begins constructing a massive fleet of Phoenix-Class colony ships and warships. The UNSC secretly helps build shipyards with the help of the Huragok._

_January 23, 2150: Millions of potential colonists leave Earth to settle new worlds._

_February 15th, 2150: The Systems Alliance builds its first Marathon-class cruiser. It's equipped with dual MAC guns, Energy Shielding, Plasma Torpedoes, and Jericho missiles. This complements a fleet of one hundred total warships, mainly of Paris-Class Frigates._

_March 15th 2150: Plans are drawn up for a Top Secret Systems Alliance Super Soldier Program titled: OMEGA, made from adult volunteers from Delta Force, SAS, Spetsnaz, Israeli Commandos, and other special forces around the globe. John-117, Blue Team, and Sangheili Ghosts would oversee their training._

_April 21st 2150: Cortana reveals her plans of two Special Forces units: the N7 Initiative and Project TITANFALL. N7 was originally going to be the Systems Alliance top tier unit until OMEGA took over. Now the program is repurposed for two-man assassination unit for deep behind enemy lines. Project TITANFALL was the Alliance's answer to the ODST, with a twist: They dropped in with piloted mechanized 25 feet tall robots called "Titans" which assisted them in battle. The unit is named the TDST, or Titan Drop Shock Troopers._

_June 2150: Hammond Industries successfully creates the Ogre, the first Titan for the TDST._

_July 2150: The F/A-50 Rapier Space Fighter is created_

_May 2151: The Systems Alliance continues to expand its influence, bringing its number of colonies up to a grand total of 15. The Systems Alliance charter has been signed by every single nation on Earth and a Parliamentary System is set up with Xavier as its head. The Systems Alliance controls Earth in all but name._

_June 2151: After receiving augmentations, the TDST deploy for the first time ever on Eden Prime, to stop a violent militia group which had formed on the peaceful colony. The results are spectacular and the TDST and Titans devastate the militia with no casualties of their own._

_June: 2152: After two years of expansion, a lone exploration vessel discovers the drell homeworld of Rakhana and its dying eleven billion inhabitants. Admiral Lasky recommends allying with them, citing the Sangheili as proof that they are better off with friends than enemies. After intense deliberation and a very close vote, the Systems Alliance decides to uplift the entire drell population from Rakhana and bring them back to Earth and her colonies. For weeks, dozens upon dozens of Phoenix-class colony ships essentially run round trips around the clock to and from Rakhana. With the warm welcoming from the Sangheili two years ago, the drell are accepted by at large as citizens of the Systems Alliance with full rights. Due to the drell's eidetic memory, they learn English without the use of a translator. The Systems Alliance now has three sapient species under its banner._

_September 2152: After three months, all eleven billion drell are uplifted from their homeworld. Rakhana is left to die a slow and painful death._

_October 2152: Kepral's Syndrome is discovered in a drell community on Eden Prime causing a widespread panic. The UNSC devises a cure within two weeks, reversing the effects completely. The Alliance Parliament passes a law with a unanimous vote that all drell citizens must take the vaccine._

_January 2153: Drell are being sent to Alliance basic training to become Marines or Officers, their exceptional memory proving to be invaluable._

_April 11th, 2154: Jane Shepard is born_

_May 2154: The Charon Relay is uncovered and activated. Slipspace is still considered a superior strategic way of travelling and the Alliance is cautious with new relays._

_January 2156: Fifteen drell are elected to Alliance Parliament. Some Sangheili are invited to join, but decline in favor of staying loyal to the Arbiter._

_May 2156: Shanxi colony is founded._

_November: 2156: After seven years, the OMEGA project is completed with over two thousand recruits graduating. Humanity has a new breed of soldier._

_July 2157: Director Xavier and Admiral Lasky make plans to introduce the UNSC Infinity and her escorts to the public after staying in hiding for seven years._

_August 2157: Present day._

* * *

**Taurus-4, Industrial Colony**

**August 25****th****, 2157 **

TDST Service Chief Tyson Lamont Greystone sighed and stretched his muscles. The light-skinned service chief was a veteran TDST, having been one of the numerous pilots to serve in liberating Eden Prime. He was natural Titan pilot and a runner in his youth so it was no surprise that becoming a TDST was easier for him than others.

Titan Drop Shock Troopers were like the ODST, yet in many ways completely different. The TDST emphasized constant movement using godly parkour and free running skills, combined with inhuman stamina. TDST pilots were given implants in the form of Nano drones that colonized the pilot's circulatory system into a series of valves and micro pumping mechanisms. This augmentation was able to boost stamina by 500%. In addition, their bones were hardened to withstand great falls up to a certain height, as well as give them impeccable agility and jumping power in combination with micro jet packs all across their armor to literally run on walls and reach heights unimaginable. The fusion pack that powered their armor, which was a combination of plating and regular reinforced BDUs, had energy shielding equivalent to MJONIR Mark V the Master Chief used on the first Halo ring. Alliance Marines also had energy shielding, but they weren't Special Forces, so it, naturally, wasn't as resilient as Tyson's.

"I hope you're doing more than just enjoying the scenery, chief."

Tyson turned behind him and smirked. It was Corporal Tarius Krios, a drell, fellow TDST pilot, and his best friend.

"Tarius you have to stop calling me that, seriously. It makes me feel...I don't know... weird when you call me that."

The drell shook his head laughing. "You know I can't do that, Alliance Regulations."

Tyson grumbled and decided to change the subject. "So...how's your brother doing?"

"Thane? Last time I talk to him he was going through the N7 program on Earth in Brazil."

Tyson whistled dutifully impressed. "N7, eh? Heh, Thane _would_ be the type of guy to want to be an assassin, he already dresses the part. Crazy ass."

"You joined the TDST like I did. You're one to talk."

"Point taken," he conceded. His communicator buzzed. "Chief Greystone, here."

"Got some good news for you, Chief. Some recruits fresh out the Academy just jumped in and will be making a drop. Mind breaking them in for me?"

Tyson couldn't help but grin. So this day might turn out great after all! "It'd be my pleasure, ma'am!"

"Glad to hear it. I'll let you have some fun." Tyson looked up in the sky to see an object falling towards his location. "Coordinates received. _**Standby for Titanfall**_." The object slammed into the ground a hundred meters away from him a bubble shield appearing the moment it touched down. No matter how many times he saw it happen, he'd NEVER get tired of seeing a Titan drop from orbit.

"Care to join me Tarius?"

"Can't let you have all the fun!" the drell replied giving a wicked grin.

Tyson sprinted toward the titan mech and its doors opened and he climbed inside with professional grace. The HUD came online showing an ultra-clear view of the battlefield. He grinned at the drop pods that were falling from the sky. Several TDSTs were about to go through his ' _Welcome to Taurus-4' _initiation course.

God, he fucking _loved_ this job.

_Unknown System_

_Unknown Location_

In a Salarian STG ship a meeting was taking place, with a lone STG agent speaking to Councilor Valern on a secure network.

"What do you mean they're _gone_!?" Valern raised his voice. "How does eleven billion inhabitants just outright disappear out of thin air?"

"We don't know, sir. As you know, the STG has been observing several species with capabilities and potential to master space flight. This one in particular seemed doomed to kill itself off. We saw no reason to interfere. When we checked back weeks ago...the planet was dead...not a single one of those inhabitants. No corpses. No signs of life. Anything."

Valern gave him a hard stare. "Find out what happened to them. Species just don't disappear without a reason." The STG agent nodded and Valern cut off the connection.

"Seems the Galaxy just got a whole lot more complicated," he remarked.

The STG agent had _no idea _how right he was.

* * *

And that's a wrap! Did I just have the Systems Alliance first contact be with the motherfucking drell and not the Batarians or Turians? Did I also just have the humans uplift them instead of the hanar? Thane becoming an N7 assassin? Yes I just fucking did. How's THAT for a twist?

I still need Sangheili OCs for the badass Ghosts squad! Keep the profiles coming I like what I see, so far! Remember, I need Appearance, Personality, Combat specialty, and a bio.

Also, for those who feel that seven years is "too soon" for all these events to happen. Need I remind you that Bioware practically ran it through our fucking heads that humanity is special and the defining trait of the Systems Alliance is to make gains quickly and the humans integrated into galactic society with absurd ease. They got a Council seat within 30! Same concept applies here.

Codex:

Titan Drop Shock Troopers: Titan Drop Shock Troopers, or TDST, are the Systems Alliance's answer to the UNSC's ODST. TDSTs are Light Infantry designed to constantly move through the environment through the use of parkour and are quite capable of literally running on walls. Augmentations in their cardiovascular system enable them to have inhuman stamina and agility as well as the ability to pilot their specialty: Titans.

TITANS: 25 feet tall heavy mechs are dropped from orbit along with TDSTs to assist them in battle. They are made up of the same alloy that make up Alliance Ships, and are protected by energy shielding. Their main weapon of choice is a GAU-38 Hybrid Gatling Gun, which fire kinetic plasma rounds. A titan can engage in "follow" mode where it doesn't need a pilot and defend itself competently with an onboard computer system that can hold a Systems Alliance Smart AI.

N7: The assassination unit of the Alliance. N7 goes on top-secret missions to eliminate threats before they become one. They receive rigorous training in Brazil on Earth. Drell make up at least forty percent of current N7 recruits.

OMEGA: Currently nothing is known about them except they're undoubtedly the toughest soldiers in the Alliance, bar none. Their activities and training are classified beyond Top Secret.

AI: Systems Alliance AIs are used all throughout Systems Alliance space with dumb AIs being used even by civilians. Smart AIs are used exclusively by the Alliance military for cyberwarfare, ship-to-ship combat, and much more.

M55 Hybrid Assault Rifle: The standard issue Assault Rifle in the Alliance. Like the MA5E it fires 7.62 rounds that are coated in plasma before they leave the barrel for devastating stopping power. It's appearance is similar to a cross between the Honey Badger and the ACR in the 21st century.


	3. Silent Contact

_**Mass Effect: The New Journey**_

_Chapter Three: Silent Contact_

What's up ya'll? Bet ya didn't expect this chapter this quickly, now did you? Anyhow, we're going for a slow buildup to first contact with the Citadel races, I'm going for logical reasons and originality here! Believe me, you're _going_ to get your wanted curbstomp (I look forward to it too), but how we get there is a matter of patience, build up and finally, war. You guys are in for a LOT of surprises. The drell being saved by the Systems Alliance is only_ just_ the beginning.

Also, for those complaining about Chief's rank, you need to be aware of three things: 1) Fred was made an officer in canon in a battlefield promotion, so that has fuck all to do with the Chief. 2) Officers outrank enlisted PERIOD no matter what the Enlisted rank is. The fact that I have to explain this is sad and shows a distinct lack of knowledge of military culture and decorum. 3_**) Deal with it. **_

Disclaimer: I make no claim of anything except my own work. Mass Effect, Halo, and TitanFall are under the rights of Bioware, 343 Industries, and Respawn Entertainment, as well as the publishing rights of Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, and Activision, all respectively.

* * *

**Rakhana, Deska Region, STG scout team**

**December 29****th****, 2157, Systems Alliance Standard Calendar**

A tenth STG frigate landed on the surface of Rakhana in the Deska region, one of the few territories on the desert-covered surface that hadn't been totally decimated by pollution, wars, and radiation. The dilapidated ruins of the cities that the drell had built stretched for hundreds of kilometers.

Torun Solus stepped out and casually observed his surroundings as multiple agents ran past him with a sense of urgency. He shook his head: rookies. The STG had set up several Forward Operating Bases in various regions across Rakhana, with Deska being the most prominent. Around forty percent of the entire STG was here, investigating what happened to the 11 billion inhabitants. In Torun's own opinion, forty percent was extreme overkill, but Councilor Valern, ultimately, called the shots here. Even if he didn't agree wholeheartedly, he had to have had a good reason for calling so many of his task group to a single system.

Walking into a highly specialized 'tent', he was saluted by fellow STG officers. "Do we have any current theories?" Torun already knew the conclusion they had drawn, but alas, protocol.

"Evidence inconclusive, but only one theory makes sense: this entire population was uplifted by an unknown race."

As always, Torun was right on the money. There were eleven billion people on this planet just shy of six galactic years ago. The STG checked up on them roughly every six months to see if they would settle their internal differences. Seeing as how Council law had forbidden them from interfering, citing the Krogan as the primary reason why, the intelligence group simply let them be, if not with pity. But to find out that every single one of that species simply _gone _was simply disturbing. Torun found it _extremely_ unlikely that, one, the species had united together, two, somehow was able to achieve and discover Space Flight, three, leave this system, and four, leave no trace of their presence behind. Which could only mean one thing: some race interfered where no one else had. It couldn't have been a council race or even a non-citadel one. The STG would've known in a heartbeat if someone were allocating resources to relocate an entire species. But that left another question:

"How did our probes not detect them?"

"I can answer that," another agent across from Torun replied, typing some commands on his omnitool. A hologram appeared on the table. It was the entire system including Rakhana. There were dozens of black dots at strategic points in a pattern in the system itself. On Rakhana, there were hundreds, if not thousands of them all over the planet. Torun's black eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Is...is that...?!"

The agent nodded solemnly. "Yes...Hawking Radiation. We're detecting it by the thousands all over the planet. Our probes were swallowed up. The only thing we could salvage was the data that detected the radiation itself. No images, audio, radio traffic, or anything. In other words..."

"Whatever species uplifted them...it's highly probable their ships leave traces of Hawking Radiation. Look here," he pointed to the black dots hundreds of thousands of kilometers away from the planet.

"Same pattern," another agent called out intrigued. "Perhaps an entry point into the system?"

"Improbable," an operative to Torun's right disagreed. "Even with our mastery of FTL, we rarely enter a system twice the same way."

"We're dealing with a lot of unknowns here. The data is right in front of us, so we have to take it at face value; no matter how much it goes against our theories. Bottom line: We're dealing with an unknown race that was not only able to _uplift 11 billion_ primitive inhabitants, but able to do so without our knowing until _after _the fact. All within six months." Now Torun saw perfectly why Valern allocated so many STG to this planet.

All of them nodded seriously. The implications were...incalculable. But no one dared spoke of them out loud.

"We'll need more data."

"Of course. We'll scan every square meter of this planet for clues. You all know what must be done. You're all dismissed."

Torun stared at the hologram as the agents dismissed themselves from the room. Those hundreds of dots just kept seemingly...staring at him...taunting him even. It almost felt as if they were _daring_ him to figure out the mystery. His eyes narrowed in conviction.

Challenge accepted.

* * *

**December 30****th****, 2157**

**UNSC Infinity, Arcturus System**

The UNSC Infinity drifted near the outskirts of the Arcturus System, the six-kilometer long vessel still as imposing as it was when it was commissioned nearly thirty years ago. Director Xavier had tasked Infinity to oversea the creation of Arcturus station shortly after UNSC scientists had manufactured a vaccine for Kepral's syndrome. Rather than make Earth the capital, the Alliance collectively decided to have their military capital in another system, as another buffer before getting to the Home Fleet stationed in geosynchronous orbit. The station's construction wasn't _exactly_ a secret in and of itself, but the coordinates _to get to_ Arcturus was highly classified and would remain as such until the station was commissioned. All construction crews and equipment travelled on Alliance vessels: Halcyon-class cruisers, mostly, but sometimes full blown carriers depending on the purpose.

Arcturus was one of three major military capitals of the Systems Alliance, the other two being Earth, naturally, and Axiom Prime, the Alliance equivalent of Reach. Axiom Prime was another "super-earth" discovered in the 21st century, and was unquestionably the most developed colony in human hands, surpassing even Eden Prime. It was a military colony through and through with only about 30% of the colonists being civilians.

Aesthetically, Arcturus was essentially taking the design of an Orbital Defense Platform and upping its size by a _hundred_ fold with a few design changes here and there. While it wasn't going to impress anyone who had seen and lived on High Charity, it was a remarkable achievement of astroengineering. The station had numerous ports, several of which could fit_ Infinity_ and the _Shadow of Intent_ inside and still have room for frigates! The MAC guns scattered across the outer surfaces would gut a fully shielded Covenant Supercarrier in a single shot and still have power to destroy a second and cripple a third.

Admiral Lasky sipped a bit of hot cocoa, tranquilly watching the Huragok work with Systems Alliance marines, drell, construction workers, and the like assemble Arcturus piece-by-piece. The station was coming along well he had to admit. The Forerunner's Huragok were godsend. The sped up the rate of ship production and pretty much anything space related dramatically. Looking to his left, he had to sigh a bit. He was running a skeleton crew and the bridge barely had a third of its occupants during normal operations. Out of the 27,000 troops and personnel Infinity arrived with in this galaxy, only about 9,000 were currently on the ship: the absolute bare minimum. The other 18,000 were scattered all over Systems Alliance space, either helping put down militia groups and rebels, missions on Earth, training Alliance Marines, wargames, teaching the Alliance UNSC doctrine and tech, along with a plethora of other things. Only one battalion of ODST was onboard, the rest were training with the TDST, naturally. Hell, even half of his Spartans were gone. Blue Team, NOBLE team, Crimson, Majestic, Avalanche, Shadow...all on some remote planet training with the OMEGAs. Of course, Xavier had given them all (Spartans, ODST, Marines) fake dossiers, which Cortana and another Alliance AI helped create, so there wouldn't be any suspicion were anyone to perform a background check.

Lasky honestly couldn't blame them, really. Forcing all 27,000 of them stay on a single ship for seven-plus years was not a situation he'd want to deal with. Allowing them some shore leave was the only way to relieve some of the stress that would build up. The system that was set up was sort of like a deployment in and of itself. A crewman spent six months on Infinity and then six months somewhere in Alliance space. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than the alternative.

"Feeling lonely, sir?" Roland asked as his hologram appeared on the table.

Lasky shrugged, if a bit half-heartedly. "I'm not sure, to be honest. I'm so used to this ship having thousands of people working around the clock. Now it's just...empty."

"I know. I actually have to work 10% harder now without you humans. Go figure."

The UNSC officer was about to retort when he was receiving a hail, audio only. Odd. He answered anyhow. "Systems Alliance, SSV Infinity, Admiral Thomas Lasky speaking," he answered, cryptically. The "UNSC" part of Infinity's name on the outer hull had been erased by precise lasers, similar to how tattoos were removed, and repainted with the call sign of "SSV".

"I see you've finally gotten used to saying that," a familiar voice said on the other end.

"Ah, Director Xavier. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Lasky replied cordially. The man practically bent over backwards to integrate the UNSC with the Alliance, while maintaining their independence. It was a shame he was born in this galaxy. He had the military abilities of Lord Hood with political leadership to back it up. The man kept Ishigami in line, which was more than Hood could say for Parangosky. He wasn't one to speak ill of the dead, but the former ONI head's execution was a long time coming and the UNSC was better off for it.

"I'll cut to the chase, Admiral, I think its time we showed Infinity to the public at large." Another thing he appreciated. Getting straight to the point.

"Really, now?" Of course they had made plans for this event back in the summer, but he didn't expect the timetable to be moved up so soon. If anything, he expected Infinity's unveiling to be next year.

"Yes. I've already set up a press conference for the New Year in London, where we'll unveil you to the public in the most dramatic way possible. I'll forward you details. I trust you can make it to Earth by New Years?" The question was obviously rhetorical. Infinity's Forerunner slipspace drives could reach the Alliance homeworld in half an hour ,tops, let alone two days.

Lasky smirked. "I could arrive fashionably late, you know?"

"Heh," Xavier huffed, amused. "As tempting as that is, I'd prefer you not. I'd honestly like you to depart immediately."

"Who will watch over Arcturus in our absence?"

"They should be arriving any second now."

As if on cue, a dozen slipspace ruptures opened up in front of Infinity. Six Strident-class frigates appeared first, being the smallest. Five Halcyon-class light cruisers exited slipspace next to them, the kilometer long vessels were in perfect formation, using the pinpoint accurate slipspace technology the Alliance acquired from the UNSC. Finally, in the center of the small flotilla, was a Systems Alliance carrier, its size easily dwarfing the other ships.

Carriers in the Alliance were enormous at 4.5 kilometers long. Infinity and the Separatists' three Assault Carriers were the only ships that surpassed them in sheer length and tonnage. A carrier had, on average, 1000 F/A-50 Rapier Fighters that could launch at a moments notice along with thousands of TDST and Titan mechs. Ten feet of Titanium-A3 protected its hull in addition to some of the toughest shielding in Alliance space. Its MAC gun was unique in the fact that it could do something even the Infinity, _at present_, couldn't do: it could change the mass of its MAC rounds. Taking the advice of Rtas, Alliance ships had an Element Zero core mainly inside the barrel of the main gun. The ship's commander could increase or lower the mass of each individual MAC round at will, allowing for devastating results in space combat.

Increasing the mass at to its maximum, obviously, drew more power from the engines as it took more time to fire and hit its target. However, when it did hit said target, the results were nothing short of jaw dropping. There wasn't a single ship that wouldn't be split in half, if not outright obliterated on impact. On the flip side, if the commander wanted some "suppressive fire" in space, so to speak, he'd ask the crew to lower the mass of the MAC round to whatever he wished, depending on the situation. This allowed the MAC gun to be fired rapidly, with the reload time being negligible. Of course, the lowered mass allowed for...less than impressive stopping power, but it definitely had its uses! To explain the system more concretely to the average joe, Alliance scientists who built the hybrid system put it this way: the lowered mass MAC rounds would be the equivalent of a UNSC DMR in space, rapidly firing its ammo semi-automatically, before it has to be 'reloaded' (or in this case the salvo being replenished by the ships internal factory). The higher mass Magnetic Weapon would be the equivalent of the UNSC Sniper Rifle in space, except with a dramatically longer reload time. It was dumbing it down, sure, but it was explained in a way that everyone could understand.

The introduction of Element Zero into ship based weapons opened up entirely new doctrines, strategies, and tactics for space warfare. Archer missiles could travel exponentially faster to their targets at massively ultrasonic speeds and individual Jericho missiles could hold even more miniature-missiles as lowered mass meant the engines could do much more. According to Cortana, if the Systems Alliance were to invade UEG territory _right now_, with having the best of UNSC and Mass Effect tech, not even _Infinity_ could stop the UNSC from getting completely dominated. However, that being said, Infinity itself had a few tricks up her sleeve, with several eezo cores throughout the ships. Retrofitting eezo was a lot harder on existing ships, than ones built with it from the ground up. Lasky still kept Infinity's energy projectors and SUPERNOVA warheads a closely guarded secret. He'd hate to have to use them on the Alliance, but if it ever came down to it, he'd destroy the Sol System without hesitation.

"Oh, wow. A carrier, eh? Do they—"

"Yes. They've already been briefed about, Infinity. To them, you're just an Admiral who got lucky and was put in charge of the Alliance's best ship."

Lasky nodded. "I see. Very well, then. I'll be on my way as soon as I debrief them on the current situation."

"Good. Any questions before I go?"

Lasky opened his mouth to say no, but then paused. "Actually...yes. I do. Director, can you at least give me an update on Blue Team and OMEGA? Haven't heard from them in awhile."

If this were a videoconference, Lasky would've seen the black man smile. Xavier had to **admire** the Admiral. Even though they were super soldiers capable of inhuman feats, Lasky still cared about their well-being. "They're fine, Admiral. Trust me. I'll have Commander-117 contact you at his earliest convenience if it'll make you feel better."

"It would," he told him honestly.

"I look forward to your return to Earth. Xavier, out."

The connection was cut off immediately. After debriefing the replacement team, Roland prepped all hands for a jump. The engines roared to life and Infinity vanished in the eleven dimensions of slipspace not a second later on their way to Earth.

* * *

**Earth, Rio de Janeiro **

**New Years Eve, 2157 **

Thane Krios oversaw the jungles of Rio de Janeiro, over looking an enemy rebel base over a cliff, in a prone position. Bastards were clever, trying to hide in plain sight, but the drell knew better. Dozens of civilian vehicles that he knew from experience were military grade. The drell scanned more of the buildings and surrounding area with his VISR 5.0. Many entrances, but not a whole lot of exit options once they completed their objective: assassinate a rebel leader and get out, quickly, and quietly if possible.

The N7 assassin was so concentrated he nearly let his guard down when he felt a presence behind him. Alarmed, he turned on his back and drew his pistol and almost fired it until he saw who it was. He groaned. "Dammit, Kai! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

For as long as he could remember Thane and Kai Leng had been tight, being in the same class of N7 recruits. The two had an odd understanding of one another. Thane was more of the silent type, Kai Leng was more outgoing, a bit obnoxious, and had a deadly bad boy side to him. Thane suspected that had he not befriended the human, he probably would've gotten discharged from the program. Everyone learned discipline in a plethora of different ways, he surmised.

"Sheesh, Thane, we haven't even started, yet. Chill, dude," Kai Leng put his hands up in the air defensively. "Anyhow, what do we have? Anything we should worry about?"

"Not in particular. We just don't have many exit plans or much cover. Our suits weren't designed to take as much punishment as the TDST," Thane answered simply. Kai Leng grimaced. Thane and Kai Leng had the **AICS** or Advanced Infiltration Combat Suit, the standard suit for N7 operatives. It was based directly on the SPI armor used by the SPARTAN-III during the Human-Covenant War. The suit came in two layers: one layer was skin-tight, form-fitting black suits that cover the wearer from the neck down. The second layer was thin bits of titanium in the form of shin guards, arm guards, thigh guards, a chest plate and a flexible titanium pair of gloves. The AICS had an active camouflage generator that provided up to five minutes of near total invisibility. It had energy shielding, but the suit was not designed for heavy assaults, like the TDST. Inside the suit's wrists were energy staves, directly copied from the Sangheili. Like all Alliance soldiers, they too had a helmet that could retract at will.

"Hmm...I see. Good thing I grabbed that thing, just in case," Kai Leng remarked, pointing to another part of the cliff. Thane blinked. It was a Sniper Rifle mounted on want seemed like a tripod used for cameras.

"Is that..?"

Kai Leng grinned and tossed him a touchscreen tablet with two handles. In the center was a ten inch screen, on the top was a radio antenna, the right handle had a trigger similar to a video game controller, while top left had an analog stick. Pressing the power button, a crosshair was seen on the screen...of the camp. Moving the analog stick to the left, to his amazement, the sniper rifle moved on its own to the left. Moving the stick to the right, the sniper rifle mimicked it instantaneously in a 1:1 ratio.

"SN-90 Hybrid Remote Sniper Rifle system. Wherever you aim on the screen and press the trigger, the rifle will fire instantaneously. Should be able to cover our exit, don't you think?"

Thane smirked at the Chinese N7 agent and put the tablet away. They both looked at the horizon. The sun was starting to set. "We need to move or we'll miss our window."

"Agreed," Kai Leng replied, grabbing both his katana and sheathing them. Thane checked his blade that was on his back to for a final inspection. All N7 were trained in the art of kenjutsu, Japanese sword arts, per the orders of Admiral Ishigami. Their blades were sharpened with 22nd century technology and with a press of a button, the steel would be coated with superheated plasma stabilized by magnetic fields. It was essentially the same technology used by the Sangheili's energy swords, except it was the shape of a katana, kodachi, or wakizashi, depending on personal preference of the operative. While there hasn't been a single N7 operative who has been able to best a Sangheili in a sword match, they were able to hold their own well enough.

Taking out their MP21-Valk, the two operatives leapt of the cliff, and slid down, riding the underside, dust kicking up behind them. With a front flip near the end of the sliding, they three point landed on the ground. With their free hand they scanned for targets.

"Clear left."

"Clear right."

Both stood up and moved in the jungle, careful of their surroundings. One of the very first lessons taught by their instructors was to never rely on technology. VISR 5.0 was a phenomenal piece of software, but it wasn't perfect. Not by a long shot. It was your instincts, skills, and ingenuity that kept you alive behind enemy lines. They saw two guards talking, holding primitive AK-100s, the last rifle to be made in the AK family some sixty years ago.

"I'll take left," said Kai Leng declared.

Thane nodded. Raising both their Valks, they each shot a silenced round in both their skulls with precision marksmanship. Both went down without a fight. "Beautiful." Grabbing a leg, Thane dragged one of the bodies into a remote area nearby with tons of vegetation. Kai Leng did the same with his kill in an area perpendicular.

This continued for the next ten minutes as Kai Leng and Thane made their way to the base. They'd kill guards, hide the bodies, scan for hostiles, and repeat the process. They finally came up to a fence.

Thane drew his kodachi and encoded it with plasma. With a few slices, he cut through the steel fence like it was hot butter. He spun it and sheathed it not a second later, the sheath automatically deactivating the plasma. Thane had to give the humans credit. They thought of everything when it came to their equipment.

"Place is crawling with guards...I don't think the both of us can get in. We're gonna need a distraction." The drell smiled at his partner knowingly.

"_Great_...so I'm the bait?" Kai Leng grunted, not really looking forward to it.

"If you want," Thane smirked, knowing he was practically ordering him to do so. "Drinks are on me when this is over," he offered.

"Throw in a massage from a hot Brazilian lady and you got yourself a deal!"

Thane laughed a bit. "Okay, deal."

Kai Leng gave him a mock salute and activated his camouflage, vanishing. What the N7 assassin was up to was anyone's guess. That thought pushed aside, Thane turned on active camo and went to work. He snuck up behind another guard on the side of the building and stabbed him with an energy stave. He was gone before the corpse even fell on the ground. There was an open window. The drell instantly dove through landing in a barrel roll. A bathroom. A small one at that. He felt a bit claustrophobic, but paid it no mind.

Slowly, he turned the knob of the door slowly to test for any excess noise. Just his luck they'd use old school bathroom doors. Aiming his Valk he found that the coast was clear...for now at least. Seeing a need to conserve power, he deactivated his active camo, not needing it for the moment. This building was old and dilapidated, devoid of the technological wonders he was used to. He checked his map. Target was about a hundred meters inside. All right now to flush him out and then—!

Thane didn't get a chance to finish his mental game plan as the ground vibrated in a shockwave knocking him off his feet. He rolled into a dark corner and activated his camo. '_What the fuck was that?!_' Bringing out the touchpad that controlled the Remote Sniper, he got his answer as he saw through the scope on the screen. Kai Leng. Crazy son of a bitch. He asked for a distraction, not a goddamn wake up for all of Rio!

"Kai! Don't you think that's a bit overdoing it?"

"Sorry...Thane...kind of...busy here!" There were multiple gunshots ringing over the radio along with slices from his dual energy katana. Dozens of rebels were pouring out of the building keen on taking his N7 partner out, who was using his active camo and mastery of kenjutsu to cause chaos. Even Kai Leng had his limits. Besides, this was a perfect opportunity to test out this new toy.

Zooming on a moving target on the screen, Thane pressed the trigger on the controller pad. The Remote Sniper rifle, kilometers away, instantaneously fired a hybrid 14.5x114mm plasma coated round. Even Thane had to wince a bit as the round tore through the rebel's jugular vein, went through the windshield of a car and embedded itself in the wall. Washing away his mild discomfort, Thane picked multiple targets and timed them all perfectly: six shots, six kills.

"Thane! Target is on the move outside! I'm engaging to intercept! Cover me!"

Kai Leng hopped over a fence and sprinted after his target, Thane covering him with the Remote Sniper as he asked. The rebel leader was headed for a Pelican dropship, no doubt stolen from its manufacturer. The engines were roaring to life as the pilot was making pre-fight checks in haste. The drell put an end to that by putting bullet through his head...well, multiple ones that is. Cockpit glass was tough to break even with hybrid rounds. With nowhere to run, the rebel leader was completely defenseless. Kai Leng appeared behind him, and stabbed him in his spinal column, the blade coming out of his chest.

**GAME OVER**

The 'rebel leader' vanished into particles and the jungles of Rio faded into the background, revealing a dull grey room ten times the size of the S-deck on Infinity. It was a simulation room. Thane strolled up to Kai Leng who was sheathing both his swords.

"You're one crazy son of a bitch, you know that Kai?" Thane told him shaking his head. "I go in the building, you're the distraction, and you get the kill anyway." Thane wasn't jealous or even upset; he was just amused at the irony of the entire outcome.

"Heh, how about that?"

"Leng! Krios!"

Both Kai Leng and Thane immediately went to attention, recognizing that voice anywhere: Admiral Ishigami. She entered the simulation room with two OAI agents, both of whom, coincidently enough, were drell, dressed in Alliance blues. The 5'10" Admiral was a striking woman, but both N7 recruits knew behind her frameless glasses she was cutthroat and could have them killed in heartbeat were they to step out of line.

"Admiral Ishigami, ma'am!" Both saluted. The Japanese woman returned their salutes sharply, dropped it, and gave them a warm smile. A chill went down Kai Leng's spine. _Jesus Christ_! Even when the woman was being genuinely friendly she was scary.

"Fine work out there, gentlemen," she complemented, before gazing around. "Even if it was a bit..._explosive_ for my tastes." She was only met with nervous laughter. "Anyhow, you've proven your worth. Congratulations. Welcome to N7."

"Oh, hell yeah!" Kai Leng exclaimed, before inwardly panicking. "I mean, thank you ma'am I—"

"It's fine, Agent Leng," Ishigami replied, rolling her eyes. The Admiral's two drell bodyguards each pinned an "N7" insignia on their right breastplates. She gave them a final salute, which they return. "Both of you have ten days of shore leave until you receive your assignment. You've earned it."

"Understood, ma'am." Ten days of leave after nearly fourteen months of hell and sixteen hour training days? Damn right they deserved it.

"I also believe there's some people here to see you two." Ishigami gestured behind her. Two figures stood with shit-eating grins on their faces: A brand new Lieutenant Tyson Greystone and Sergeant Tarius Krios, dressed in civilian attire.

"Tyson? Tarius?" Thane blinked, not expecting them to be here at all!

"I'll leave you four." Admiral Ishigami exited the room, subtly noticing the Lieutenant's lusting eyes toward her. She allowed herself a small smirk. That knowledge would definitely come in handy in the future. She exited the simulation room.

"_Damn _Tarius. I swear if she wasn't a Flag Officer..."

"Shut the hell up, Ty," Tarius laughed, shaking his head.

"Tyson! Dude! It's been too long!" Kai Leng told the TDST, giving him some brotherly love, which was returned wholeheartedly. "Lieutenant already? They sure promote fast in the TDST."

"It's just cause I'm _that_ badass," Tyson replied, grinning.

"I'm sure," Thane shook his head, not believing him for a second. "How'd you know we were taking our final evaluation?"

"Being a TDST has its...perks," Tarius replied cryptically.

"So...Thane...you did promise drinks were on you AND you owe me a massage from a Brazilian lady!"

"Massage?" Both TDST pilots' faces traced confusion.

"Ugh. It's a long story."

Tarius put his hand on his brother's shoulders and grinned. "You can tell us _all_ about it over dinner. We got plenty of time."

Nodding, all four friends departed the training deck and headed towards downtown Rio. Thane looked at his N7 emblem. He couldn't _wait_ to see what kind of action he'd see in his career.

* * *

**London, United Kingdom**

**New Years Day, 2158 SSV Infinity's "Commissioning" ceremony**

In the heart of the capital of the United Kingdom there was a buzz of activity. Director Xavier had invited reporters and officers from all over the Systems Alliance for a special announcement. Knowing the Director's personality, they knew it had to be something huge. There was a gathering outside a large patio where thousands of people had gathered. At the top were the Alliance Chiefs, along with the Sangheili Iassa 'Sadum, the Shipmaster of the Flagship of Earth's defense fleet, _Steeple of Ascent_.

Iassa stood just as tall as her male counterparts at about 8'6", in gold and silver armor. She was a proud Sangheili and loyal to humankind to a fault, almost. Her husband was killed during the assault on Reach in 2552. At first, she harbored a deep resentment and hatred towards the humans, wanting revenge. That all changed when the Prophets betrayed the Sangheili and the truth about the Covenant came to light. She immediately discarded her faith and worked to correct the wrongs her husband, a Zealot, had made. So she became a warrior and shipmaster, no small feat considering the short amount of time she did it in. _The Servants of Abiding Truth_ came to fear her, as she was a master tactician and could command a ship with the skill of a Shipmaster with decades more experience than she. Iassa vowed that as long as she drew breath she would never abandon humanity, for they had given the Sangheili purpose again, friendship instead of hatred, and most of all, forgiveness instead of resentment.

Iassa turned her head to see Xavier walk onto the stage. She gave a nod of respect. "It's good to see you, Director."

Xavier waved her off. "Come on, Iassa, don't be like that. You know I hate formalities with you."

"Sorry," she apologized. "It has become a habit." She looked towards the skyline. London truly was beautiful. She never got to come to the surface much due to being on the _Ascent_ above Earth. "So...how does Admiral Lasky plan to reveal himself?"

"Oh, you'll see," Xavier smirked and went up to the mic, getting everyone's attention. "Ladies, Gentlemen, and all species under the banner of the Systems Alliance, thank you all for coming today for such an extraordinary event. Just a mere decade ago, humanity discovered it as not alone in the universe. Just a mere decade ago, our technological achievements of today we're merely pipe dreams. A decade ago humanity was confined to one world! No more. We met our Sangheili allies, who came to us in peace and showed us wonders we couldn't have imagined. Through their alliance and guidance, they united Humanity and the Systems Alliance grew stronger!" There was heavy applause.

"For a decade we've built our military strength. Building ship after ship, weapon after weapon, we have prepared for the unknown. Humanity will want peace, but will not hesitate to go to war. Today, I'm here to unveil a vessel that we have kept the utmost of secret...until today." Murmurs started to work through the crowd as they were quietly making their own speculations of what kind of vessel the Director could be talking about.

"This ship is the largest vessel ever created by Systems Alliance," Xavier told them. '_For now,' _he added in his own head. "Designed with all of the latest and greatest of technologies discovered over the past decade. Home to over 27,000 of our best and our brightest." That got the attention of practically everyone. It was common knowledge that Alliance Carriers more or less a crew of 13,000. To hear the Alliance had built a ship that held more than _double_ that was insanity! "If you all would please turn you attention to the Thames."

Over the Thames River, a giant slipspace portal opened. An enormous black ship pushed its way through, its four Series-8 MAC guns in full view. The Infinity was making a slipspace jump in atmosphere with negligible, if not outright insignificant effects on the area surrounding it. The only Alliance ships that attempted such a feat were ships below Halcyon-class. Infinity was so enormous that it casted a gigantic shadow over downtown London and yet she still hadn't finished entering normal space! Xavier had to laugh not be able help himself. Every single one of their jaws was completely on the floor, their eyes as wide as saucers. Some had even dropped what they were holding in their hands.

"I present to you all: The _SSV Infinity_!"

* * *

Timeline:

_January 2__nd__, 2158: The unveiling of the SSV Infinity is considered a massive success, boosting morale and curiosity across the entire Systems Alliance. Infinity is stationed at the military colony of Axiom Prime, along with the Shadow of Intent. _

_January 11__th__, 2158: Thane Krios and Kai Leng are assigned to the N7 operations on Shanxi_

_February 2158: Reports are growing of children exposed to element zero exhibiting strange powers. Xavier authorizes the Alliance to find a way to potentially weaponize it. Preliminary reports are inconclusive but the investigation is still ongoing. _

_May 12__th__, 2158: The Alliance completes construction of its 500__th__ combat warship. The combined manpower of the Alliance Military to include reserves is well over 50 million with the number expected to triple in the next twenty to thirty years. _

_June 2158: The Alliance begins training a second class of OMEGA supersoldiers. The Program is still classified above Top Secret. _

_July 2158: Loosely based on the Covenant Scarab, the Systems Alliance builds the Mobile Artillery Walker/Long Range or MAWLR. _

_September 2158: Alliance engineers start drawing up plans for Project Daedalus, Project Atlas, and Project Olympus: A second Infinity-class capital warship, a dreadnought class warship, and a Super carrier, respectively. All three are expected to enter service by 2170 at the latest. _

_December 2158: Arcturus Station is finally finished after years of construction. The Sangheili Baptism of Fire serves as the Flagship of its fleet. The Alliance Parliament is permanently moved to the base and becomes the de-facto capital of humanity_

_June 2159: The drell have fully assimilated with the human race. There is a sizable drell population on every single human colony and on Earth. In addition, they make up 30% of the total manpower of the Alliance military, with some experts predicting that number may increase to 45% by 2180. Xenophobic demonstrations were ruthlessly put down by authorities as well as strict anti-discrimination laws and Civil Rights Acts are passed by the Alliance Parliament. _

_February 2160: The Office of Alliance Intelligence finds evidence of another galactic civilization, near the Skyllian Verge. All expansion into the system is halted temporarily. _

* * *

**Skyllian Verge, OAI Flagship SSV **_**Amaterasu**_

**March 15****th****, 2160**

On board the frigate sized, SSV Amaterasu, were some of the greatest officers and enlisted personnel in the entire Office of Alliance Intelligence. It was the crown jewel of the intelligence organization and Admiral Ishigami's personal flagship. The ship was painted jet black like ONI prowlers and covered in a material that made the ship virtually undetectable.

"What are we looking at Izanagi?" Ishigami asked the Amaterasu's smart AI. His hologram appeared on her chair. True to his name, he looked exactly like the character from Japanese mythology.

"Undeniable ma'am. There's a trace of Element Zero all over the system. It sure as hell wasn't from us, that's for sure. Which could only mean..."

"We're not the only ones looking for a new colony." While it was true detecting eezo in and of itself, didn't confirm anything, but the difference between unrefined element zero and eezo a ship leaked off was massive to the point where you literally _couldn't_ mistake one for the other. Outside of some stealth ships used to scout new systems, there hadn't been a single SA ship to pass through the Skyllian Verge.

"All right, everyone. Listen up. We're going in."

That got her shocked looks from her entire crew. "...Ma'am, are you sure we can—"

Ishigami glared at him, shutting him up. "Listen. All of you. We don't know if this civilization is hostile or not. Our job is to protect the Alliance from the shadows and we can't do that by being cowards. We all swore an oath that we'd give our lives to give the Systems Alliance a fighting chance should we gather intelligence on hostile alien species. The same principle applies here. We move in, gather as much intel as we can, and report back to..." she scoffed derisively. "...Director Xavier." She respected the man, truly, but her inability to manipulate him always unnerved her.

"Am I understood?" She was met with several nods. "Then take us through."

The Amaterasu's engines roared to life and sailed deeper into uncharted territory. Ishigami only prayed whatever species they found they'd be non-hostile.

* * *

And that's a wrap! I was going to go a bit longer, but eh, I felt this was a good place to stop, honestly.

Yes, Kai Leng is different from he is in the game. Cerberus doesn't exist yet, so I'm kind of writing his character in a fall from grace tragedy type of way.

No Codex for this chapter, unfortunately!

Hope you all look forward to the next update!


	4. Third Contact

Mass Effect: The New Journey

**Chapter Four**: _Third Contact_

Yo! All right sorry for getting this chapter up a bit late. Real life intervened and prevented me from doing my planned schedule of updating once a week. So, instead of that, to give me some more breathing room, I'm going to be updating this fic every two weeks and bar some mega shit going down on my end, I'll try my best to keep up with that schedule.

Some of you are wondering exactly how the Systems Alliance gained its footing so fast and whatnot, so I'm going to go into detail explaining just how, if only to get some of you to stop bitching at me not explaining every little thing.

By the way, another thing people are asking, "Why would the Salarians call it Hawking Radiation." Because it's called translation convention, holy fucking shit. They're obviously speaking their own native tongue in-story, but to YOU the reader, it's in English for your convenience. You really thought I was just going to make up some bullshit word in the Salarian language, just so I'd avoid using a human term, when the human term makes more sense and everyone would get what I'm trying to convey? Do you have any idea how stupid that would be? The fact that I have to explain this is, quite frankly, sad and pathetic.

Oh, and for those who submitted Ghosts OCs, thank you! All four will be showing up in this chapter! :D

Disclaimer: I make no claim of anything, except my own work. Mass Effect, Halo, and TitanFall are under the rights of Bioware, 343 Industries, and Respawn Entertainment, as well as the publishing rights of Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, and Activision, all respectively.

* * *

**Rakhana, Deska region, STG Forward Operating Base**

**March 17****th****, 2160 **

Torun slammed his fist on the table inside the STG FOB in complete and total frustration, knocking some tablets and computers on the ground. The Salarian cared very little that the tablets had shattered on impact: they could be replaced easily and its not like they had any data he didn't already know himself.

Two years. For nearly two damn years he had traveled all over Rakhana looking for evidence and clues to the whereabouts of that species and those who had uplifted them. He had tried to remain composed in the face of adversity, but this was beginning to wear on his patience.

"Sir, are you well?" an agent who had just strolled in asked, his tone calm, but his eyes betraying the underlying sympathy and mutual agreement of being annoyed at coming up empty-handed.

Torun sighed. "I...I...no," he finally admitted. "This entire mystery is upsetting me. I'm frustrated. I'm making mistakes. Too many. We're no closer to finding out the truth than we were years ago. It's...unsettling."

"I agree. Might I make a suggestion, sir?"

Torun raised the Salarian equivalent of a human eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Oh?"

"Well, you haven't been back to Citadel space in months. Perhaps you should call your son. I'm sure he's dying to tell you about his latest invention."

Torun gave the STG agent a small serene smile. Mordin, his son, was truly brilliant, even by Salarian standards. He wasn't even ten years of age and he was already taking apart various weapons, gadgets, electronics, and the like and improving upon them exponentially. As much as Torun hated to admit it, Mordin thought outside the box, challenging ways the Citadel races did things, technologically, economically, militarily, and sometimes even politically. He doubted the majority of his suggestions would be taken to heart, but it was worth noting nonetheless. Perhaps he would call him. It'd be a welcome distraction.

"You know? That might not be such a bad idea at all." He gave him some equipment and a COM headset. "Here. I'll probably be gone for an hour. Don't contact me unless it's vitally important." The STG agent gave a salute, understanding his orders. He left without a second thought.

Retreating back to his quarters near the back of the FOB, Torun shut the door behind him and activated his Omni-tool to begin setting up a call to his son on Sur'Kesh. On paper, the STG weren't allowed to use the intelligence agency's portable com buoys for personal endeavors, but the rule was rarely, if ever, enforced. Knowing that it would take some time for the vidconference to set up, he took some time to tidy up his quarters a bit as it was a bit messy from all of the information scattered across the room. Couldn't have Mordin think he was a hypocrite with his strict rules on cleanliness back home.

"Father!" he heard a voice while setting an ornate piece on the dresser. He turned and smiled seeing a young Mordin' grinning ear-to-ear, seeing his father. A prodigy he may have been, but the Salarian was still a child when all was said and done. He wasn't going to rob him of that.

"Ah, Mordin, it's been awhile hasn't it, son?" There was a trace of guilt laced in his voice. He was devoted to his species, but he yearned to be with Mordin, to nurture and groom his potential.

"Oh. Yes. Yes. A long time. Much too long in fact. Been missing you great deal. Invented many things to pass time by." That was another thing that set his son apart from other Salarians his age. He had a motor mouth and talked ridiculously fast, sometimes even worst when he was explaining something he was passionate about.

"As have I," Torun replied evenly. "So, tell me, what have you been up too since I last called?"

"Oh, nothing much. Quantum physics. Biomedical research. Galactic Political Science. Basics. Almost bored with it. Need something new. Exciting perhaps." Torun resisted the urge to roll his dark eyes. Only _Mordin_ would find Quantum physics unchallenging and boring.

"What? No new inventions?"

"Inventions? No. No. No. Simply research. Can't build anything without proper knowledge first. Lots of theories. More tests. Dismissive of some, not all."

Torun smirked. "So the great Mordin Solus is stumped?"

Mordin's jaw actually dropped in defiance. "I...no! I'm just in...a phase! Yes. Yes! Phase!"

"I'm sure," came the sardonic reply from his father. Mordin simply gave him a small glare, which Torun found amusing.

"So...father...how goes your investigation? Well, I take?" Mordin inquired, changing the subject out of embarrassment for his father calling his bluff.

Torun groaned, really not quite in the mood to tell him how he really felt. Then again, if he did lie, Mordin would likely call him out on it and probe him until he answered truthfully...well, as truthfully he could without causing an operational security violation. Then again, Mordin was the type of Salarian to correctly put the pieces together anyhow without him saying much of anything, so it was kind of a moot point anyway. He figured out what they were investigating on Rakhana. Even Councilor Valern was actually impressed and allowed the young one to keep that knowledge, both in consideration of his potential and the oath he swore to not tell a soul.

"No. We're no closer to finding out the truth than we were years ago," Torun admitted gravely. "Makes no sense. Traces of Hawking radiation, but no element zero to be found, except the obviously unrefined ones in the system itself." The STG had detected plenty of unrefined eezo in the system, untouched due to the species lack of spaceflight. It wasn't much of consolation prize as they needed a dedicated team to take any of it back to Citadel space. As of now, the whole system was on lockdown.

"As you know, based on our current models and theories, hawking radiation and element zero don't mix well. Well...they shouldn't, anyhow." Salarians had certainly encountered the radiation for sure, in remote parts of the galaxy, but studying it was difficult to say the least, as the science was so alien compared to eezo, which was relatively straightforward and rigid. "It makes me wonder how their ships made it here."

"Hmm..." Mordin hummed in wonder, putting a finger to his lips in deep thought. He brightened up as if an idea came to him. "Ah! Father. Wrong. Very wrong. Possibly thinking too straightforward. No adaptation."

"...What?" He replied blankly.

Mordin shook his head, seemingly disappointed. "STG. Supposedly adaptive in theory. In practice, Not so much. Too structured. Need to think more outside box."

"Mordin..." Torun's tone was warningly.

"Perhaps, you're going about it the wrong way," Mordin continued on as if he was completely oblivious to his father's warning tone. "Have you considered, maybe their ships don't run on element zero? Perhaps, this species' ships aren't giving it off as a byproduct of their method of their ships, but _directly because _of their way of FTL?"

Torun was stunned. Not only because of that possibility he hadn't considered, but Mordin had actually wasn't being a motor mouth. The ten-year-old continued. "Who knows? Are we assuming they all came willingly? No remnants of war? Subjugation? Evidence of orbital strikes?"

Torun's eyes widened a bit as multitudes of flashbacks came to him. "Hold on, Mordin," he told his son hurriedly, getting a nod in return even though his face was traced with confusion at the sudden switch of emotion. The elder Salarian was practically tearing apart the room for whatever he was looking for. Mordin was greeted with a shriek of happiness from his father. He saw him insert something into his omnitool, and a projection of Rakhana's home system came up. It was the old projection he was greeted with years ago when the Special Task Group deployed him.

His eyes scanned the 3D images with far more intense scrutiny than ever before. He looked out several million kilometers outside of Rakhana's natural satellite where there large concentrations of Hawking Radiation. '_Directly because of the way of their FTL'. _Mordin's words continued to echo in his mind. "Wait a minute..."

He stared at the dots and zoomed in for a closer look. They seemed to be...distributed..._evenly_. He then looked back at some of the dots near the planets surface. Could it be...? He had to know for sure. He used his Omnitool to run some complicated numbers, writing them down as well on a pad. Checking again and then re-checking, the numbers confirmed it: the amount of radiation was exactly the same based on his calculations. Looking back towards the hologram, his eyes widened. If what he just found was even half-way correct, then..._oh dear_. The radiation wasn't indeed a byproduct like his son had said; it literally WAS their method of FTL! Which meant they traveled the stars through some type of black hole or warp space. The evenly distributed radiation...no trace of element zero...it all made sense! He and the rest of the agents were operating under the assumption that the unknown species were using traces of unknown Prothean technology. He gritted his teeth at his own shortsightedness and stupidity.

"Mordin, I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have to go, I promise to make it up to you, but you've no idea how helpful you been!" It honestly broke his heart to see his son's saddened expression. Torun knew that the young Salarian probably felt used, even if it was unintentional.

"I understand, father," Mordin bitterly choked out. He cut the connection before Torun could get another word in.

With a reluctant sigh, the STG agent pushed thoughts of his heartbroken son out of his mind, temporarily. He had a job to do.

He activated his COM systems and talked over the radio giving orders. "To all STG agents on this channel, I need a frigate to my location ASAP!" He didn't even bother waiting for a reply. He gathered his things, and downloaded as much data as he could. Staring back at the monitor where he talked to Mordin, he gave a solemn grimace. Torun left the room without incident.

True to his orders, there was an STG frigate waiting for him. The STG agent didn't waste any time boarding. Every other agent didn't even inquire as to why he wanted it.

"Take us to this area," he ordered to the crew pointing to a subsection of the Deska region, which had high traces of Hawking Radiation.

"Sir...?" they asked questioningly.

"Just do it," he growled. "We might be on the verge of solving this!"

Not needing to be told twice, the crew sped the small ship in atmosphere at near top speed to get there as safely as possible. Torun was internally in a state of turmoil. If his hunch was correct, then the Council as a whole needed to be informed at the earliest convenience. If these beings traveled through wormholes—the exact method of _how_ he was completely clueless—as his data suggested, then that could possibly mean that travel through the Mass Relays were neglected if not outright ignored. Unlikely, but a prospect he couldn't dismiss just yet. If so, this species had an utterly _massive_ strategic advantage over the Citadel. Tactically, the implications were unknown until it was directly seen in action. Either way, this mission just got a lot more complicated.

"Sir, what exactly are we looking for?"

"We're looking for evidence of orbital strikes."

"Why would—"

"There! Stop!" Torun interjected staring at a crater embedded into the planet. It was two kilometers wide and several hundred meters deep.

"There are craters like this over the planet, sir. What makes this one so special?"

The agent had a point. There were thousands of craters all over Rakhana formed by war and the shifting of the tectonic plates beneath the surface of the crust. The Special Task Group found them nothing more than natural wonders at best and insignificant at worst. Torun, however, ignored his flippant comment and checked his data. This area had a history of a large concentration of Hawking Radiation that was detected years ago.

"Scan the crater for any materials. Specifically metal that could be used and slugged at relativistic speeds."

Although perplexed by the order, the agents did so without question. They all blinked in surprise. "Wow...that crater is filled with thousands of pieces of ferric and tungsten."

"Is that so? What's the total weight of the all the pieces that have been scanned?"

More presses on the console. "Although we can't be 100% accurate, preliminary scans show total weight at around...600 tons."

Torun blinked repeatedly in shock. 600 tons?! That was _thousands of_ times the weight of even dreadnought class Mass Accelerator Cannon rounds. Now granted, the STG as early as five years ago had experimented with rounds that weighed orders of magnitude more (mostly topping out at 50 tons, deemed impractical), this was utterly ludicrous.

"My fellow agents, I do believe we may have stumbled on a discovery that will shake the galaxy."

* * *

**OMEGA Training World, Codename "ARCHON", Eris System, 60 Parsecs from Axiom Prime**

**March 19****th****, 2160**

The Marathon-class cruiser, SSV _Midnight Whisperer_, made a precise slipspace jump into the highly classified Eris System. Eris was 60 Parsecs from the nearest Alliance colony, the military capital, Axiom Prime. There were 15 planets in Eris and all but one of them could support life: Archon, the 6th Planet from the star. Its biosphere was extremely diverse, comparable to Earth, but conditions were harsh, and just about every living creature on the planet seemingly wanted to eat and kill humans. Thus it was considerably a terrible planet for colonization with heavy and costly terraforming. Those funds could be used to expand humanity's growing empire and influence. However, the world was far from useless. Not only were there multiple facilities that housed the Alliance's bleeding edge Research and Development, but the planet was used to train the System's Alliance's best soldiers: the OMEGA corps.

"Jump successful, Admiral. We're drifting..."

Admiral Ashdown gave a curt nod. "Good work," the American-born admiral complemented. "Are all of our weapons cold?" he inquired, putting emphasis on "all".

The technician nodded. "Yes, sir. MAC gun is offline, Plasma torpedo reactors are dead, and for extra measure all missile pods have been completely unloaded."

"Good, take us in," Admiral Ashdown ordered. Under routine Alliance regulations, while it was perfectly fine for a commander to keep some weapons '_cool'_ to conserve power, it was _**never**_ acceptable for a combat ship to have _all_ weapons powered down, no matter the circumstance. Not even the Home Fleet, arguably the most secure planet in Alliance hands, could afford that luxury.

Archon, being completely unknown to 99.999% of the Alliance military, had far different regulations. The planet was protected by dozens of Strategic Defense Platforms, or SDPs. They were more streamlined versions of Orbital Defense Platforms at 3.5 kilometers tall, and looked more like long futuristic satellites than a space station. A network of Dumb A.I controlled the SDPs. Their programming was solely dedicated to the defense of Archon and all of its denizens. All ships coming anywhere near the planet had to have every single weapon powered down to its lowest level, if not completely offline. Any ship that had even _one_ hot Archer or Jericho pod, the SDPs would fill the void of space with Super-MAC rounds, one after the other, annihilating the ship from existence with extreme prejudice. The thinking went that if any ship had a hot weapon, then it was assumed to be hostile, non-friendly, and it didn't have proper clearance to be here in the first place. Although Archon officially didn't exist, the Systems Alliance took no chances, in case it was discovered. Not even the _Infinity_ was exempt from this requirement.

The SDPs had absolutely no humans on board. In fact, the inside of an SDP didn't even have a breathable atmosphere. The only time humans went on board were for maintenance, heavy repair, and software and hardware upgrades. The AIs handled the rest.

As the _Midnight Whisperer_ drifted passed Archon's two natural satellites, the dozens of SD Platforms came into view. Admiral Ashdown gave a smile: he'd never tire of seeing just how far humanity had come since the UNSC had practically, for lack of a better term, given them advanced tech.

"Admiral, we're being hailed."

"On-screen."

A familiar face was projected on the holotable of the _Whisperer_. "Ah! Admiral Ashdown my friend! You finally arrive!" The Russian accent was thick.

Ashdown had to chuckle a bit. "Good to see you too, General." Ashdown wouldn't lie. General Dragovich's enthusiasm was infectious. Guy never seemed to have down day. It sure as hell beat dealing with Ishigami. _'Fucking bitch,_' he thought to himself distastefully. He honestly found the woman insufferable, even if she did do her job extremely well. How the Director dealt with her on a daily basis was something he'd never fully comprehend.

"I take it you're ready to deliver the packages? I'm eager to see how big the gap in skill truly is."

"Don't worry, they're all well prepared," Ashdown replied evenly.

"Then tell them to drop in."

Ashdown nodded and was about to cut off the connection before the General added, "Oh, and by the way, Lieutenant Greystone and his squad will be dropping...elsewhere..." he remarked cryptically.

Ashdown raised an eyebrow. "Elsewhere? Why the Lieutenant?"

"I've read his file," Dragovich retorted, taking a puff of his cigar. "The kid's young, but he has massive potential, and I intend to fully bring it out. The Ghosts wanted to test their skills as well, so I chose Greystone and his small platoon of TDST."

Ashdown's eyes widened, while the rest of the bridge was confused. "The Ghosts?! Has your time on Archon made you go batshit insane!? You want to pit the Ghosts against a mere _TDST _team?! It'll be an outright massacre!" While the TDST were absolutely _exceptional_ soldiers—anyone who tried to argue otherwise was suffering from severe delusions—the Sangheili Ghost squad was...a chill went down his spine.

Meanwhile, the General kept a stone face, cool as a cucumber. "Since when were you under the impression that I expected them to _win. _No, I want to see what they're willing to do to survive, nothing more. Nothing less."

With a reluctant sigh, the Chief of Naval Operations gave his consent. With an exchange of farewells, he terminated the connection. One crewman had the nerve to ask what was on everyone's mind.

"Who are the Ghosts?"

* * *

**SSV Midnight Whisperer, Titan Deployment Hangar**

**March 19****th****, 2160 **

Deep within the bowels of the Midnight Whisperer, hundreds of Titan Drop Shock Troopers were arming themselves to the tee. Out of the hundreds of thousands of TDST that were stationed all over Alliance space, these were the cream of the crop, elite-of-the-elite. The vast majority of them had been with the TDST since they were first deployed on Eden Prime eight years ago, while others were simply exceptional in there own right scoring high-marks and graduating Titan Academy on Axiom Prime, with distinguished honors. There were a mixture of humans and drell at a 2:1 ratio in favor of the humans.

Throughout the deployment bay, a plethora of Ogres, Stryders, and Atlas class Titans were being moved into their drop pods by cranes built into the inner walls of the heavy cruiser. Titan Drop Shock Troopers had a choice of three types of Titans to pilot: the Ogre, the Stryder, and the Atlas. The Ogre was the first Titan developed by Hammond Industries ten years ago. The Ogre was designed for being extremely tough, heavily armored, and had energy shielding equivalent to the smallest Systems Alliance ships. Bulky and tall, the purpose of the Ogre was holding key choke points and heavy assaults. The Stryder, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. It was built for speed, being extremely mobile, and highly maneuverable. It was built for the purpose of Hit-and-run, ambushes, and rapid deployments. This speed did come with a price. Although very fast and maneuverable, its shielding, compared to the Ogre and Atlas, was laughable and it couldn't take much punishment. Finally, the last Titan was the Atlas: a balance of speed and armor. Atlases were designed to keep pushing through enemy territory, being able to take a hit as well as dish it out.

The reason the Systems Alliance didn't just use Atlases was simple: all three Titan models complemented each other extremely well. The Stryder would land first and assault the enemy territory with a rapid siege. Then some Ogres would drop and be tasked to hold that that territory. Finally, the Atlas would plunge into the fray ahead of the Ogres and assist the Stryders in taking territory, both Titan classes covering each other's backs as they switched roles depending on the situation. While every Titan Pilot had their own preferred Titan of course, all TDST were trained to use all three proficiently.

Colonel Antonio Velázquez stepped up on a balcony overlooking his small battalion of veteran TDST, the Hispanic man was already fully armed. Tyson came by him and barked out, "Squad! ATTENTION!" Instantly, every single Shock Trooper stopped what they were doing and immediately came to attention.

"Stand at ease," Colonel Velázquez ordered. "As you all probably aware, Alliance brass has ordered us to a secret planet to test our organizations ability to rapidly deploy to unknown worlds. Are we gonna disappoint them!?"

"HELL NO, SIR!" they all echoed.

"Mmhmm, damn right you won't!" the colonel bellowed. "This planet is known as Archon and we don't know what we're going to be up against so be prepped for anything. Command has authorized deadly force and we're going to give it to them tenfold! We're doing this by the book people. Remember, two minutes into your drop you will have Titanfall! And then.." he paused getting COM transmission. He excused himself and put his hand to his ear and spoke, while the others waited silently.

"I understand, sir." Velázquez turned his attention back to Tyson, who was raising an eyebrow clearly interested. "Well, well, Lieutenant, it must be your lucky day!"

"My lucky day?" Tyson replied, kind of dreading where this was going.

"Yup, Admiral just issued new orders. You'll be dropping in another region of the planet with a Platoon of your choice," he informed him. The Colonel turned back to the TDST present. "All those not picked to drop with the El-Tee get your asses to your pods! We drop in five!" Every last one scrambled to make last-minute preparations, checking suits, ammo, charging weapons, and the like.

Tarius came up to his best friend. "Guess I'm first pick?" he gave Tyson a smirk.

"Duh, bro! Always!" Tyson smirked. They slapped hands stylishly. "Ride or die, right?"

"We drop together, fight together, we die together," Tarius started. "Ride or die."

"Ride or Die." Tyson fist bumped his drell best friend. "Ready to kick some ass?"

"Thought you'd never ask!"

With that being said, both drell and human went off in search for the best TDST pilots they could get their hands on. Both didn't know it, but they were going to be in for the fight of their lives, pushing each to their limit.

* * *

**FORTRESS Base, Airfield, OMEGA Training Facility, Archon 'capital' **

**March 19****th****, 2160 **

Nathan-B312 and Jorge-052, rode silently in the experimental Pegasus dropship on their way to FORTRESS base's airfield. The Pegasus was intended to replace the aging design of the Pelican. Although the two were similar in appearance, Pegasus dropships were more streamlined and slick, and much more advanced due to being designed from the ground up. The SPARTAN-III and SPARTAN-II were in their MJOLNIR Mark XI armor, except they were practically unarmed due to the fact for their particular mission, they wouldn't have their feet touch the ground the entire time.

"Ugh. Tell me why we're doing this again?" Nathan practically whined. He never once thought in his life where he didn't want to fly, but he wouldn't be able to blow shit up today!

"This is why I tell you that you should pay more attention. Sheesh. We're acting as if command can't have eyes in the sky or orbit, so we have to basically feed them intel."

"We're making it too easy for these guys."

The large SPARTAN-II gave a grin. "Who said we'd be feeding intel the OMEGAs?"

Now that caught the attention of Noble Six. "Is that so?" Okay, he took it back. This mission just got a hell of a lot more interesting. The Pegasus rotated 180 degrees on a far end of the runway and sat itself down, blowing dust as the engines cooled down. Both Spartans stepped off unto the runway to see two YSS-2000 Katana fighters being tended to by a dozen or so crew chiefs. Both state-of-the-art fighters were each about ten meters apart, perfectly parallel to each other.

Near the Katana farthest away, Six noticed two SPARTAN-IVs from Fireteam Talon, a SPARTAN-IV fireteam infamous for its abilities with aerial vehicles. "Fireteam Talon's on this mission, too?" Six grunted.

Jorge shook his head. "Can't lone wolf everything, Nathan. Sheesh." He looked at the time. "All right, missions a go, time to get down to business."

With a nod, Nathan turned serious, and both Spartans activated their helmets with a simple mental command. The crew chiefs were finished with their last minute diagnostics and saluted the super soldiers as they passed by to climb into the cockpit. Fireteam Talon did so as well, being assisted by their chiefs.

Noble Six immediately contacted the control tower even while he was strapping himself in. "K.A.D, this is Katana-1 requesting permission for takeoff," he asked, politely. Although, obviously, the Katana had VTOL capabilities, doing a conventional take off allowed for a larger build up of speed and they could reach their destination much quicker when the fighter was used in atmosphere.

"Katana-1, you are clear for takeoff, runway four," K.A.D replied. Nathan internally noted that the voice belonged to Gabriel Thorne, a SPARTAN-IV from Majestic. They must've had Tower duty for the week.

"K.A.D, also confirm rendezvous with Rapier squadron, Codename: BLACK KNIGHTs in sector Bravo Six Niner."

"Affirmative Katana-1, BLACK KNIGHTS are in the sector, they will meet you there."

This time, Paul DeMarco's voice came over the intercom. "Katana-1 and Katana-2, you have the Sky."

"Copy K.A.D, our sky."

The engines of both fighters roared to life. Barely two seconds later, both fighters sped down the runway and took off into the sky and accelerated past Mach 3, a comfortable cruise speed for in-atmosphere flying.

"K.A.D, we are rolling."

"Affirmative."

With Six's augmented vision, he could clearly see hundreds of HEVs falling out of the sky, no doubt filled with highly trained and experienced Titan Drop Shock Troopers as well as Stryders. So they were doing this by the book, eh?

Well, time to give these boys and girls some cover. They sure as hell were going to need it.

* * *

**Kaznan Jungle, Archon, OMEGA Training Site 44**

**March 19****th****, 2160 **

Tennu' Ryuum stood on a large tree branch in the dilapidated ruins of Training Site 44 or what commonly known as the Kaznan Jungle. The Sangheili stood at a height of 8'7", with jet black and bright silver armor, a large scar on his right eye and was missing a mandible. Tennu' was the leader of the Sangheili Ghost Squad, arguably the most skilled and deadly group of Sangheili in existence, in this galaxy or the next. Their combat skills easily rivaled most SPARTAN-IIs. For nearly a decade, the Ghosts and UNSC Spartans had been putting the OMEGA recruits through absolute hell on Earth. They may have been from Special Forces groups from around the globe, but that was a complete joke to the training the Ghosts and Spartans put them through. This planet's harsh conditions made the challenge even more difficult.

"Fin...report," Tennu ordered.

Elsewhere, fully cloaked and staying still as a statue, was Fin Tuyok his blue-gray eyes gazing through the scope of his beam rifle. While he certainly was not in the same league as Linda, it sure as hell didn't mean he didn't put the female SPARTAN-II through her paces when they had sniping competitions. "I have already marked several locations where the Alliance and their machines may drop." He sent the coordinates to the Ghost Leader.

Tennu couldn't help but scowl in contempt. What a waste. He hoped these TDST impressed him more they touched down, because so far, they were failing miserably. Ah, well.

"Find a new position. Keep marking."

The Sangheili Spec Ops Officer didn't even have to make that order, technically. Fin had already moved to a new location, not leaving a single trace of his presence.

Tennu's hand twitched as his eyes scanned the jungle in front of him with rigorous fervor, as his instincts which had saved him countless times throughout the decades on the battlefield. He ducked as another Sangheili deactivated active camouflage, and tried to punch him. The strike landed on a tree and caused a dent, showing considerable strength. Tenuu kicked the Elite away, who back barreled rolled into a skid with such precision and skill that should normally beyond most Sangheili. The other Sangheili grinned and rushed the Ghost leader at tremendous speeds. Giving the elite a grin, Tennu engaged the enemy in what the humans called martial arts, a new form of combat adopted by the Sangheili in the early 2560s.

Having grown tired of this little spar, Tennu activated his energy sword and held it towards the Elite's neck. "You lose, Malik," he told him.

"Don't be so arrogant, Tennu," came the stoic reply of Malik 'Moram. Tennu looked down and saw that Malik had activated his energy dagger in his right wrist and aimed it at his vitals.

"A tie, then," The Ghost leader said simply.

"Indeed," Malik retorted as they both slowly stepped away from each other, but fully on guard. After about five meters, both deactivated their melee weapons. Both Ghosts closed their right fists and used it to beat their chests in respect. "A worthy adversary as always, Tennu," the hand-to-hand expert of the Ghost squad complemented.

"As are you, Malik. You've grown into a warrior that would make our ancestors proud."

"How adorable you two are," a disembodied voice echoed throughout the jungle. Both warriors snorted, recognizing it immediately. Dor'n Moramai deactivated her active camouflage and gave the elite's a grin. The Female Ghost was 8'1", wore Reach-era Spec Ops Armor, had two energy swords on each thigh and bright amber eyes.

"Dor'n...I swear you've been spending too much time around the humans, specifically the SPARTAN-IVs," Malik told the Ghost indignantly. Dor'n had an...interesting personality to say the least, which was ironic considering who her father wa. She was a rebel in every sense of the word off duty, but as a warrior, her skill was tremendously invaluable.

The Ghost shook her head. "Just call it how I see it."

Malik looked toward the sky. Fifty HEV pods were heading towards Kaznan and closing in fast.

"The time to test these humans and their machine approaches. Let us make haste and prepare," Tennu ordered. "Scatter and remember, no killing allowed. They will treat us as hostile, which makes it all the more challenging for us."

Without another word, the three Spec Ops Sangheili vanished into thin air, akin to their namesake. The Sangheili Ghosts were about to show the TDST exactly why they were so feared by the Storm Covenant.

* * *

**SSV Amaterasu, Skyllian Verge, **

**April 21****st****, 2160 **

Admiral Sayuri Ishigami ran a tired finger through her hair. She was off duty and in her private quarters onboard her flagship, the SSV Amaterasu. The Japanese woman was dressed in sweatpants and wore nothing but a bra. Feeling liberated, she relaxed, and finally got around to opening some important files General Hernandez had sent to her weeks ago, but was too busy to read.

_Warning: _

_This document, _Project Daedalus, _is property of the Systems Alliance and is classified [TOP SECRET], protected under Office of Alliance Intelligence security Protocol 1A. Disclosure of its contents, or access by, personnel with a clearance level below [TOP SECRET] is an offense punishable by courts marital and imprisonment or execution for treasonous acts. Failure to disclose confirmed or suspected breaches of security as complicity, and is punishable by dishonorable discharge and/or imprisonment. _

_Directive by Director of Alliance Extraterrestrial Affairs, Miles Andre Xavier_

_Sent: April 2__nd__, 2160 _

_FROM: General Gabriel Ricardo Hernandez, Chief of Logistics and Exploration Corps_

_TO: Admiral Sayuri Ishigami, Head of Office of Alliance Intelligence _

_Subject: Project Daedalus _

_File Start: _

_The Systems Alliance has grown exponentially more powerful over the last decade, as you already know, Sayuri. All thanks to Admiral Lasky and his branch of humans. We wouldn't have stood a chance had they shown us hostilities. Their AI, Cortana, was able to analyze our entire economy from the bottom up and was able to come up with a system to sustain growth. Since the entire infrastructure of their civilization was already built and stood for over four hundred years. They knew the ends and outs, shortfalls, where they made mistakes, and the like. Using that knowledge is how they set up our shipyards, and the economy so it wouldn't fall prey to the same mistakes they did. Highest on that list was heavy regulated corporations and contract reform. We wrote the tax laws and contracts in such a way where there were virtually no loopholes and advantages from Day 1. That is what allowed us to expand in the short amount of time that we did. The Huragok had technology to replicate and set up shipyards and allowed us to build ship after ship. How this exactly works is still a mystery, though we certainly weren't complaining. _

_My point in all of this is that we still need to grow. I fear that there's an entire galaxy out there ready to eat us alive. Even though humanity is orders of magnitude more powerful than we were ten years ago, I still fear it may not be enough. So what I'm proposing is three ships, first starting with Project Daedalus. _

_The SSV Daedalus would be a carbon copy of the UNSC Infinity and would be the Alliances first Infinity-class capital warship. Although Admiral Lasky was a bit stingy with some details, our scientists have learned more than enough to fill in the gap.  
_

_Here's what we have so far for specifications:_

_SSV Daedalus _

_Specifications:_

_Class: Infinity-Class Capital Warship_

_Length: 6.3 kilometers_

_Width: 940 meters_

_Engine: XR3 Boglin Fields: S91/X-DFR Hybrid Eezo Core _

_Slipspace drive: Mark X Macedon/Z _

_Hull: Titanium-A3 Battle Plate (5.5 meters)_

_Armament: _

_2 Series-Eight Magnetic Accelerator cannon (5 shots per charge, more if used in combination with Mass Effect fields with onboard Element Zero) _

_2 Plasma Torpedo Cores _

_750 Jericho Missile Pods (3 Missiles per Pod) _

_300 Archer Missile Pods_

_30 Aries Nuclear Missiles (75 Megatons) _

_900 Fortress 70mm guns _

_Dorsal MAC networks, Anti-Aircraft Gun Network and Guided Missile Weapon System Network_

_Complement and Crew (all subject to change at any moment): _

_1000 F/A-50 Rapier fighters (40 Squadrons) _

_D88-TC "Pegasus" Dropships (300) _

_M-15- Closed Warthogs (400)  
M909B "Mako" (300)_

_Naval Personnel: 5000_

_Alliance Marines: 15,000  
TDST Battalions: 5_

_OMEGA: 200, located on the "O-Deck" _

_Artificial Intelligence: Icarus _

_Total amount of personnel: 32,000 _

_Service Information: _

_Construction Start date: April 16__th__, 2160_

_Estimated Completion Date: June 28__th__, 2167 _

Ishigami had to whistle in appreciation. The _Daedalus_ sounded like an absolute beast of a ship. She pressed an icon on her tablet and read the file on the SSV Atlas, which had the exact same warnings about classified information.

_SSV Atlas _

_Class: Dreadnought _

_Length: 4 Kilometers _

_Width: 500 meters _

_Engine: V55 Mark III Hybrid Eezo-Repulsor Engines_

_Slipspace Drive: Mark XI Macedon Y_

_Hull: Titanium A3, (8 meters) _

_Armament: _

_1 Magnetic Acceleration Cannon (8 shots per charge, 1500 ton rounds used) _

_1 Prototype Plasma Accelerator Cannon or PAC (Unclear if weapon will be mounted on the ship, but initial tests are promising) _

_100 Heavy Deck Guns (all with Element Zero cores) _

_10 Hyperion Class-II Nuclear Missiles (150 Megatons) _

_500 Jericho Missile Pods_

_300 Archer missile pods _

_Naval Personnel: 4000_

_AI: Phoebe _

_Marines: N/A_

_Vehicles: N/A_

_TDST: N/A_

_OMEGA: N/A_

_Estimated Construction Date: July 23__rd__, 2162_

_Estimated Completion: December 3__rd__, 2165_

_Special Notes: As you can see, there are no ground troops of the like assigned to the Atlas, nor will there _ever_ be. This ship and all those like it built in the future is constructed for one single purpose; to wage war in space and terminate any hostile alien fleet with extreme prejudice. _

Pretty standard for what she expected, Ishigami nodded to herself. What caught her eye however, was the mention of the PAC. It was being developed by the UNSC and Alliance in secret on Archon. From what she was told, the PAC was used for naval engagements and planetary bombardment. The weapon worked by compressing ionized gas in several magnetic fields inside of the canon's barrel. As the plasma became compressed, the heat's temperature rises exponentially. A magnetic pulse pushes the plasma out of the barrel with high force, travelling at over 30,000 meters per second. The canon could easily pierce through shielding and hulls would be atomized. However, the weapon came with a tremendous cost. Fire the round cost a tremendous amount of energy, more so than conventional ship reactors could reasonably produce and continue ship-to-ship combat, not to mention that if the Atlas didn't lower it shields before the weapon fired, the entire ship would be destroyed. Honestly, even Ishigami didn't think the weapon was worth it, currently, but alas, that wasn't her call. Finally, she clicked on the last icon.

_SSV Olympus_

_Class: Supercarrier_

_Length: 18 kilometers (_Ishigami's eyes bulged out of her sockets in complete shock)

_Width: 4.5 kilometers _

_Engine: Experimental XR5 Boglin Fields with Element Zero core_

_Slipspace Drive: Mark XI Macedon X _

_Hull: 12 meters Titanium-A3, Double Layer Energy Shielding _

_Armament: _

_4 Magnetic Accelerator cannon (10 Shots per Charge ) _

_10 Plasma Torpedo Cores _

_2500 Jericho Missile Pods  
2000 Archer Missile Pods _

_400 Heavy Deck Guns  
100 Hyperion-II Nukes_

_Complement and crew (all subject to change): _

_120 Squadrons of Fighters _

_1000 Pegasus Dropships_

_Unknown Number of Mako _

_Unknown Number of Warthogs _

_3 MAWLRs_

_Systems Alliance Marines (50,000)_

_Navy: 15,000_

_TDST (30 Battalions) _

_OMEGA: 2000, O-Deck _

_Total Amount of Personel: 100,000+ minimum  
_

_Artificial Intelligences: Odin and Leonidas _

_Estimated Start of Construction: November 15__th__, 2161_

_Estimated Completion: Originally, September 25__th__, 2170, revised to November 9__th__, 2183_

_Special notes: The _Olympus_, due to its gargantuan cost, will likely remain the only Supercarrier in the Alliance fleet for half a century at least bar some extraordinary circumstances. Roughly half of the Systems Alliance budget is being allocated over the next 20 years in construction costs. Now, do note when I say "half" I don't mean consecutively every year, half of the budget goes to the Olympus, I mean divide the budget we have now, and spread it out over twenty years. _

"...Holy _shit_," Ishigami cursed out loud. Just what kind of voodoo accounting _**bullshit**_ did Xavier pull off to fund the construction of a ship that size, without breaking the Alliance's treasury?! And people thought _she_ was crazy?! 18 kilometer ship, they could've built dozens of cruisers, or hundreds of frigates, planetary defenses, and the like with the amount of resources they would put in to build it.

Then again, this was over a_ twenty year_ period. The Alliance found new planets for resources practically every day. Obviously some had more than others, but all of it added up. She prayed Xavier knew what the hell he was doing, because one wrong move and the Alliance could potentially go bankrupt. Much better than UNSC spending half of its budget on Infinity, according to Lasky. Then again, they built Infinity from scratch, while the Alliance was practically given blueprints for free and head the Huragok to speed up up the process. Even still, building the Daedalus, Atlas, and Olympus would take time and ultimately, money.

Izanagi appeared on her desk, the AI's facial expression both seemingly excited and alarmed.

"What is it, Izanagi?" The admiral wasn't even remotely bothered by the fact that the AI was essentially looking at her while she was practically half-naked.

"We've figured out where that eezo trail was coming from," Izanagi informed her simply.

Ishigami was stoic as a brick wall. "Go on."

"We've managed to trace it all the way back to their home planet, which we're practically at their doorstep now. They only discovered eezo a couple years ago and are experimenting, just like us. I took the liberty of hacking into their satellites and we've learned quite a lot about them. Even translated their languages too. Quite the handiwork you humans do to prepare our translation software." Of course, Izanagi, and the Alliance didn't realize, was that software was based from Forerunner technology. They spent thousands of years interacting with sapient species across the entire Milky Way. It came as no surprise that their translation software was perfected to the point where even new species' languages could be translated perfectly without hassle.

"Is that so?"

Izanagi gave grin. "You're gonna love this. We're not dealing with one dominant species, we're dealing with _two_."

The Director of the Office of Alliance Intelligence blinked twice, in total surprise. Okay, she totally didn't see that one coming. "Wow..."

"So...what do you suggest we do, Admiral?"

She leaned into her desk and gave a devilish smirk. "That's easy...we'll convince them to join the Systems Alliance."

* * *

Aww snap! The Alliance just discovered not one, but TWO sapient species in the Skyllian verge, and they're _not_ Batarians?! :O Who are these mysterious species? Will they join the Systems Alliance? And what will Torun Solus do with his new discovery? Find out next chapter of Mass Effect: The New Journey.

**ALL RIGHT! I'm having another OC submission contest! This will be the second of three total OC submissions, so you'll get a lot of shots to submit your OCs! **

**Here's what I need: I'm building the OMEGA equivalent of Blue team. I'm going to be picking Four OCs I like the best, so send me everything you got! Remember, OMEGAs in this story come from Special Forces across the entire world, so I need everything, from bio, personality, appearance, etc. I want you to get extremely creative, but don't be downright ridiculous. Also, I cannot emphasize enough: the longer and more detailed the OMEGA OC you submit, the higher chance he/she will have of getting picked. **

**Codex  
**

ARCHON: Located dozens of light years away from Axiom Prime, Archon is the training facility for the OMEGA super soldier program. The planet is extremely harsh, but tolerable, making it perfect for training elite soldiers to fight in hostile conditions. Archon is twice the size of earth and makes a complete orbit around its star every 456 Earth Days.

Strategic Defense Platforms: Called SDPs or SD Platforms, depending on personal preference, these satellite weapons are stationed hundreds of miles above Archon and will terminate any ship that enters the Eris system if it detects even a single hot weapon. All SDPs are controlled by a network of dumb AI.


	5. Stirring up the Hornet's Nest

_**Mass Effect: The New Journey**_

_Chapter Five: Stirring the Hornet's Nest_

Nothing much to say here, but if you want to submit an OMEGA OC, please do so. I've already chosen one and said person is already been made aware. So that leave's three open slots left, which will end the moment chapter six is up (which is where they will be introduced) Again, I emphasize, the longer and more detailed the profile is, the higher chance it has of getting selected.

Disclaimer: I make no claim of anything except my own work. Mass Effect, Halo, and Titanfall, are under the rights of Bioware, 343 Industries, and Respawn Entertainment, as well as the publishing rights of Electronic Arts, Microsoft Game Studios, and Activision, all respectively.

* * *

**SSV Amaterasu, Uncharted System, Skyllian Verge**

**April 25****th****, 2160 **

With a bit of a cold grimace, Ishigami poured herself a shot of cîroc, downing it with a couple of anti-depressants, stress relievers, and anxiety pills. Not only was she drinking on duty, but defiantly—perhaps even imprudently— taking medication with alcohol instead of water. However, the intelligence flag officer cared little. Xavier was, literally, the only person who could _actually_ reprimand her for such an action that she would've _severely_ punished a subordinate for. The blatant hypocrisy was not lost on her.

Inhaling and exhaling continuously and controlling her breathing in rhythmic patterns, she allowed herself to slowly let the pills do their intended effect. She gripped the side of the armrest to forcefully stop her trembling hands. Honestly, the woman wanted to shed a tear, despising having these frequent moments of weakness. Swallowing saliva, the shaking stopped.

A knock on her door brought her back to reality. Odd. Most crewmembers were afraid to even speak to her on the bridge, let alone have the balls to come to her private quarters.

"Come in," she permitted, if a bit simply, unused to that level of interaction. Ah, well.

A Systems Alliance officer—a drell with a skin tone on the lighter shade of jade—crossed the threshold as the doors split apart. Judging from the gold oak leaf on either shoulder, at just a glance, one could infer that the reptilian alien was a Lieutenant Commander in the Alliance Navy and the Admiral's executive officer. He saluted promptly and sharply. "Admiral."

"Commander Tarsem," Ishigami nodded, not saluting back simply because she didn't _have_ to under these circumstances. Tarsem didn't take it personally, fortunately. "To what do I _owe_ the pleasure?" Reading between the lines and her icy tone of voice, she was tactfully asking: What in the _**fuck**_ are you doing in my private quarters?

Dropping his salute, Tarsem went into parade rest, as perfect a posture as he was taught by his drill instructors when he went through OCS years ago. "Admiral, we're almost finished. The flotilla will be ready to head out within half-an-hour to the homeworld of this species."

Three days ago, Ishigami had contacted Director Xavier, the Chiefs, Admiral Lasky, Rear Admiral (Upper Half) Hackett, the Arbiter, Rtas, and Fleetmaster Iassa of the Home Fleet Flagship and CAS Assault Carrier, _Steeple of Ascent. _Unfortunately, John-117 couldn't attend the ten-way FTL conference call due to his duties prepping the OMEGA soldiers for war. After hours of deliberation, it was decided that they would send a lightly armed flotilla to meet with the aliens and make contact. This flotilla consisted of six ships: the _SSV Amaterasu_—Ishigami's heavily customized Strident-class stealth frigate—, three Paris-class light frigates, and two SDV- Corvettes from the _Fleet of Glorious Repentance_. Each had small platoons of Marines, Sangheili warriors, Unggoy, Mgalekgolo, N7 two-man teams, TDST and Titan mechs, for security if invited to the ground. All agreed that anything above frigate class could potentially send the wrong message. However, in case things went south, a small fleet lead by one of the Alliance's _very few_ Valiant-class Ultra-Heavy cruisers—an upgrade over the UNSC's old Super-Heavy cruiser— would remain on standby to make a slipspace jump into the system.

They prayed it wouldn't come to that. Powerful humanity was, but they were still new kids on the block with toys they haven't used in actual combat, only countless simulations. Combined with the drell, and all of her colonies, the Systems Alliance on had a population of around 30 billion, even with the government encouraged baby boom (for both species) that started the moment the Alliance began to colonize outside of the Sol System in the early winter of 2150. Seeing how it was a near mathematical certainty that they were outnumbered by a considerable margin on the galactic stage, the Alliance Parliament encouraged multiple births, giving _extreme_ tax incentives for couples that had four or more kids. Eden Prime, in addition to two additional colonies, had lands that surpassed even the UNSC's Harvest in terms of fertility, feeding all the extra mouths. Thus, food production was practically a non-issue, but just in case, the Alliance Parliament had several contingencies and ration plans were they to fall behind at any given point.

The Alliance needed as many allies as they could, preferably under their direct control and influence. It'd be decades, if not centuries in the worst-case scenario, before they'd have the desirable manpower to "reasonably" take on the galaxy at large. It was for this very reason that Xavier was practically handed a blank check on expanding Humanity's military might. Defense corporations, weapons manufacturers, and naval ship construction companies were in deep competition trying to earn a contract from the government. It wasn't like the old days where they conspired together to bleed the old Governments of Earth dry in defense spending. Smart AI wrote the laws on weapon contracts long before any outside influence could be 'encouraged'. With no loopholes to take advantage of, companies either had to come to the Alliance with their best tech (and most reliable) or simply go out of business.

"Tell me, commander," Ishigami began leaning into her desk, interlocking her fingers, staring directly into the black eyes of the alien race humanity uplifted. "Why did you come to me in person? Why not have Izanagi?"

"Izanagi said he was busy," he bluntly replied.

Ishigami snorted. A Smart AI too busy to tell his own commander that the fleet was ready? '_Bastard is probably having a field day sorting through all the data of these new species. Dick.' _

"I see. Very well. I need to make a call before we head out. Don't disturb me before then," she commanded, standing up. "You have command of the ship until the moment I step on the bridge."

Tarsem saluted and promptly left Ishigami to her own devices. She pressed an icon on her desk and straightened up her uniform. The four stars on her shoulders signifying her rank of Admiral were polished to a tee and the officer looked damned near radiant.

"Identify yourself," a computerized voice said over the intercom softly.

"Admiral Sayuri Ishigami, Director of the Office of Alliance Intelligence, access code 572943."

There was a pause. "...Identity confirmed. Alpha Encryption protocols are now being enabled." That way no one could dare intercept her message. "Connection secure. Who would you like to contact, Admiral?"

"Director of Alliance Extraterrestrial Affairs and Commander-in-Chief Miles Andre Xavier, Arcturus Station."

"Affirmative, Admiral Ishigami. Please standby."

Ishigami crossed her arms and kept her eyes glued to the screen that was black except for in the center where a spring was going back and forth to show "connecting."

After roughly ten seconds, the enormous office of Director Xavier's office could be seen along with the man who, in layman's terms, was the leader of humanity. Xavier was dressed in all black: a trench coat, semi-thick black vest over his shirt, BDU trousers and combat boots. As always, the dark-skinned man had his goatee and mustache trimmed and neat to perfection. Rising an eyebrow, it was clear he wasn't expecting a call from Ishigami, at least not so soon.

"Admiral Ishigami?" he called out in surprise. "Damn, I know you intelligence types work fast but sheesh," he joked to her chuckling.

Ishigami, however, wasn't in the mood for games. "Cut the crap, Miles," she replied with heavy scowl, giving her superior a withering glare.

Xavier narrowed his eyes. She never called him by his first name unless she was pissed and in private. "Okay, what the hell has gotten into you, Sayuri?" he inquired, also using her first name.

Sayuri snapped her fingers and several holograms of files were projected before her. Being partially made out of hard light (still a relatively new tech to the Alliance) she could physically touch them. She "pushed" one holographic file towards the screen. The file appeared on Xavier's desk within five seconds, real time. "That!"

Gazing down, the Director saw the file that General Hernandez had sent Ishigami almost a month ago. "Oh. That," he remarked dismissively. "What about it?"

"Miles, have you lost your _goddamn_ _mind_?!" she practically roared. She was livid and didn't even bother hiding behind her façade of stoicism. The time for tact was over, in her eyes. "I was fine with the _Atlas_, hell even the _Daedalus_, really. Then I read the file on the Olympus. Are you and Gabriel serious? An _18 kilometer_ ship?! Do you have any idea how much resources, costs, and sheer time it would take to build that thing?"

"Yes. We were the one's who ran the numbers," Xavier replied with snark and sarcasm. "Why are you so against this?"

"Do you know how many cruisers and other ships we could build with the time and money sunk into the _Olympus_? Not to mention how much constructing Infinity broke the UNSC in _their_ galaxy. What reason would you—"

"Stop. Stop right there," he commanded, which she instinctively obeyed. She inwardly cursed that this man had so much subconscious control over her. "You must be under the false and delusional impression that the UNSC's circumstances and our circumstances are comparable. They _aren't_ comparable and they _**never**_ will be. You're equating apples to oranges. They were at war, we aren't. They built the _Infinity_ from scratch; we were given blueprints, along with a plethora of other things, for free. We have the Huragok's help in establishing infrastructure for construction from day one; they didn't have their help until thirty years afterwards. They had _four hundred years_ of experience and mistakes along the way. We've learned from them and adapted to correct their misfortunes wherever we can. Otherwise there'd be no way we could've expanded in the short time we have."

"I know, but..." she bit her lip, silently conceding to his points. "But, why now? Shouldn't we be building more Halcyon, Marathon, Valiant cruisers?"

Xavier sighed. "Sayuri. I'm doing this under the assumption that potential enemies will be bigger than us...stronger than us...outnumber us. For all _**we know currently**_, they might have ships that make _Infinity_ look like a frigate in comparison. We could build a hundred cruisers and still be outclassed by an enemy we know nothing about. I'm not willing to take the chance. Besides, it's not like we're building a dozen of them. The Olympus will be the _only_ one of its kind for, at bare minimum, 40 years. By the time the Alliance builds more, it'll be the turn of the 23rd century and I'll have long passed the torch to someone else and retired."

"Fine," Ishigami huffed, hating to be proven wrong. Xavier smirked. He was one of the few people who could beat the Admiral at her own game.

"Now then," the Director spoke, ready to change the subject. "Is everything well prepared? I'd rather this not go south."

"As prepared as it can be, Director." She was back to referring to him professionally. "Security, teams of diplomats and ambassadors, the whole nine yards."

"All right. Don't try anything covert until we can get an idea of what their military capabilities are. We have to play this smart."

"Very well. I'll play nice. Just know that if they turn hostile I won't hesitate to use the _Amaterasu_ to turn one of their cities into a crater." '_Just like on Rakhana...' _she thought to herself. It was regrettable, but a necessary evil to pacify the drell. They folded like a wet paper towel soon afterwards.

Xavier nodded. "Do so with extreme prejudice if you have to." There. She had official permission from the top dog himself. Perfect. "Anything else?"

Ishigami looked at the bottle of vodka on his desk and then smirked, as memories came back to her. "Just one...when are you going to fuck me on that very spacious desk of yours?" she asked bluntly. It sounded as a joke, but the flag officer was _dead_ serious.

Any normal man would've been taken back and stuttered in shock, but not Xavier. The director returned her expression highly amused. "Depends. If you're a good girl and you pull this off...I'll oblige wholeheartedly."

"Ohh..." she cooed. "Guess I better get started then."

"That you should. Good luck, Sayuri." The director terminated the connection. Ishigami grabbed whatever she needed and went out of the door, heading straight for the bridge of the _Amaterasu_.

* * *

**Paris-Class Frigate, SSV **_**Lexington,**_** Hangar Bay**

**Ten kilometers off the starboard side of **_**SSV Amaterasu**_**, Unknown System**

In the hangar bay of the SSV Lexington, there were dozens upon dozens of personnel from different branches of the Alliance Armed Forces, civilians, and ambassadors, among others making preparations to make first contact with a new race! Of course, that information was classified at the highest levels, and very few individuals that weren't already in this system knew.

For Second-Lieutenant Claire Carter, she had mixed feelings of the entire situation. Sitting inside her Stryder TITAN mech, she observed some of the beings in the bay. She had hoped this new race wouldn't have to be uplifted like the drell were nearly a decade ago. She wasn't xenophobic, per se, she just rather not have to talk to them if she could avoid it. She knew it was wrong, fundamentally, but she couldn't help how she felt.

"El-Tee! The hell are you still doing in that Stryder, still? Having a long masturbation session?" shouted a voice as an Ogre strolled in front of her TITAN, the size difference made abundantly clear.

Claire quickly muted her microphone, before busting out laughing. That was Major Nazzarian, in all of his crude humor. Strangely, she didn't mind it, mostly because he treated everyone like that. "You all will be equally shitted on." According to him. Squad still loved him regardless. He was one hell of a TITAN pilot.

"No, sir, nothing's going on here," she dutifully replied, trying to refrain from guffawing.

"Uh huh," he scoffed. "Could've fooled me. Get your ass out on the double. We've got a debrief in five."

Claire sighed and opened the hatch and jumped out, the inhibitors built within her bones suppressing any pain she might have felt.

"He seems quite the character." She turned to her left and was greeted by an N7 agent, dressed in full-blown ACIS armor. He had his helmet retracted, but it was clear that he was of Chinese descent.

She smiled whimsically. "Yeah, that's Major Nazzarian for ya. Crude, but still willing to bleed for his fellow TDST."

"I hear that," he replied. He held out his hand. "Kai Leng, N7 Special Forces, Shanxi Division," He introduced himself.

Claire smiled and shook the N7 agent's hand. "Claire Carter, TDST, 2nd Division, 1st Battalion, Echo Squadron."

Kai Leng rose a brow. "1st Battalion? Huh, I think my partner might be interested in that."

"Oh, really? How so?"

"You'll see." He turned partially and yelled out. "Yo! Thane! Get your ass over here for a sec!" Claire chuckled. For a guy who was more or less supposed to be a glorified ninja, he was pretty loud. Not that she minded. It was certainly better than dealing with her brother. She grimaced. She still hadn't heard from Mike in almost four years after he went on some long-term mission. The Alliance had assured her he was still alive, so that gave her some comfort.

Thane strolled up grunting, not even in his ACIS armor, he was in his black outfit that he used to wear before he joined the N7 assassination division. "Ugh, damn, Kai, do you have to be so loud?"

"Yes."

"..."

"Love you too."

The drell assassin rolled his eyes. Claire grimaced a bit, uncomfortable at Thane's entrance. She shifted a bit on her left, subconsciously stepping backwards. The drell was well aware of her actions, but chose not to comment to save the poor officer embarrassment.

"This here is my partner. Thane."

Thane held out his hand politely. "Krios. Thane Krios," he introduced himself. Claire blinked a bit before shaking his hand.

"Wait...you wouldn't happen to be related to Tarius Krios would you?" Claire exclaimed feeling a bit more comfortable by the minute at that knowledge.

"Yes. He's my brother. He's a TDST Senior Non-Commissioned Officer-in Charge 2nd Division, 2nd Battalion."

Claire's eyes widened. Tarius was one of the few drell she could actually talk to openly without fear and here it was his brother would serve with her on a highly classified mission? It was a small galaxy indeed.

"Whoa! I used to be his subordinate till I commissioned! He and Lieutenant Greystone are some damn good pilots," she praised of her former commanding officer. She had immense respect for the El-Tee, with his leadership abilities practically unparalleled. Claire wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if ten-to-fifteen years he became the head of the entire TDST Corps as a flag officer.

"Indeed he is," Thane agreed. "He got deployed a few months ago."

"Oh? Where?"

The drell shook his head. "Dunno. All I knew is that it was classified and he couldn't tell me."

"I see," Claire replied, her hairs standing on the back of her neck. This sounded all too familiar with her brother's deployment. Could it be one in the same? A small chance, yes, but one she couldn't dismiss completely.

Before Kai Leng could add his own input, the intercom blared signaling for every signaling everyone that it was time. They all began to gather around, Kai Leng, Thane, and Claire standing close knit, a small bond already forming, subtly.

A human ensign pressed a button and the holographic form of Admiral Ishigami appeared, broadcasting from the _Amaterasu_ apparently. Every single on of them saluted the Chief. She saluted back, professionally, and got down to business.

"You're all aware of the basics, so I'm going to try and keep this short and simple. A few months ago, OAI detected vast quantities of Element Zero all across the Skyllian Verge. Seeing as how only OAI ships couldn't produce even half of what we detected, we assumed and have confirmation that it was another alien civilization. Assuming they were hostile, the Alliance stopped all expansion into the Skyllian Verge."

The home planet of the civilization appeared next to Ishigami, as well as a comparison to Earth. The planet was roughly 1.5 times bigger than humanity's home world. There were few ships in geosynchronous orbit, the largest one barely topping out at over 600 meters. Mere ants in comparison to the Infinity and the Sangheili Assault carriers, really. The planet was mostly mountains and jungle, with enormous megalopolises with buildings that stretched up to five kilometers in height.

"Izanagi, my AI, has already taken the liberty of hacking into their satellites, and even learned their language and translated it to English. You should be receiving translation software shortly after this briefing."

Seeing their nods, Ishigami turned to the holographic image of their world. "Now, then. They call this planet 'Zestiria', or it's more formal name, the Zestrian Pact. The planet is inhabited by two dominant species: the Draxians and the Caleans (pronounced KEY-Ins). Their government is similar to Ancient Sparta: the planet is ruled by two kings, one from each species, and a council underneath them."

Another image appeared, headline of "Draxian" above its head, slowly rotating 360 degrees. The alien was similar to the drell in some ways, but reminded mostly of the aliens from the 20th century, 'greys'. They were humanoid, tall, about 6'2 on average and lean. Four fingers and three toes adorned their bodies, as well as clothing that made them look like warrior monks.

"These are the Draxians. They are, for the lack of a better term, the brains behind the entire Pact. This world is rich in element zero and the Draxians have evolved with it. I'm sure you've all heard of the incidents of children being exposed to eezo exhibiting powers?" They nodded. "This is the result of that. Our closest translation of what they call it is...biotics. They're quick, agile, and have bones tougher than humans, although their skin and organs are just as fragile."

Technically useless g-whiz information, but if it ever came to war, invaluable for any Alliance soldier, should their be war.

Another image appeared, for the Caleans. These aliens resembled giant overgrown humanoid lizards, with bright yellow eyes, and teeth that looked like they could crush steel, let alone human flesh. They were as tall as the average Jiralhanae of old and looked muscular enough to easily take one on. "Caleans, they form the backbone of the military of the Pact, although there is a respectable minority of Draxian soldier. Ironically, one would think the Draxian would be stealthy, but all actuality, it was the Caleans. Their skin has a reactive coating similar to a octopus, but in doing so, they not only take after their environment, but apparently their scales lock in any all heat, making thermal detection nigh useless. They're tough bastards to put it lightly. It takes some serious firepower to bring them down, but they will be brought down...eventually."

"There is more, but that's the basics. On a technological level, the Zestirian Pact is somewhat on the level of humanity in the early 2110s. Since the discovery of eezo, they've achieved spaceflight and have colonized two worlds to relieve them of their overpopulated cities."

"What kind of numbers are we dealing with, Admiral?"

"Hard-to-say," Ishigami replied honestly. "Although Izanagi was able to hack their satellite systems, a lot of their classified weapon systems and technology aren't on any kind of grid to be hacked. We hypothesize it's still kept on traditional paper to prevent anyone from within the Pact from learning of it...as well as any species that visited. But...to answer your question, we believe both the Draxian and Caleans combined number at about 13 billion, give or take a billion or so."

'_13 billion...so...if they ally with us or come under our banner...then that would mean the Systems Alliance would be responsible for roughly 43 billion inhabitants,_' Claire thought to herself with a grimace. She already thought the drell would be a long-term drain on the Alliance, what would the Pact be?

"We're doing this by the book. Standard first contact protocols. If we're invited to the ground, you'll all provide security. If they're hostile...well...let's just say they won't be achieving spaceflight for the next two hundred years if they're lucky." It was cold, but Ishigami took no chances when it came to the Alliance's safety.

"You have your orders! Let's get it done!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ishigami sighed as her hologram vanished. Leaning back in her command chair, she took a deep breath.

"Take us in."

* * *

**Citadel Presidium,**

**Alliance Standard April 25****th****, 2160**

Torun Solus sat in the waiting area around the Citadel Presidium, his head cocked back, barely able to contain his anxiety and nerves. In his lap was a briefcase with files and documents that would likely change the course of the galaxy. After his discovery of the orbital strikes, the STG officially concluded their investigation, not even a week later. Now he was going to speak with the Council as a whole with a proposal so insane that he wasn't even sure he himself believed it. He had hoped Councilor Valern had followed through with his request for certain individuals to also attend the meeting.

An asari came up to him and bowed her slightly. "The Council will see you now," she told him and walked off.

Nodding to her in thanks, the STG agent made his way to the elevator. It was empty. Good. Then there would be no stops on the way to the Council's more secluded Chambers. What they were going to discuss couldn't be leaked out. The Citadel already had enough headaches with the Terminus Systems. No need to add another.

He finally arrived, as the elevator stopped about midway before the floor to the Council Chambers that were known to the public. Entering a password and a quick biometric scan confirmed he was who he said he was. The titanium doors slid open partially, and Torun stepped through. The doors locked themselves the moment he crossed the threshold.

The Council's private chambers was state-of-the-art. Using the absolute bleeding edge technology jointly developed by all three-member species, it was considered the most secure place in the galaxy. Nothing got in or out without the Council's permission, and even if you somehow _did_ break the 3 meters of solid reinforced titanium doors, by then the Council would've been evacuated and the intruders would have thousands of C-Sec officers and dozens of veteran Spectre agents stationed at the Citadel. Torun wasn't arrogant enough to think that the Council was assassination proof, but the results spoke for themselves.

Stepping through another threshold after a series of checkpoints, the STG agent finally found himself in the presence of the three most powerful beings in the galaxy, plus two other guests, sitting at a table in the shape of a crescent moon with the three sitting at each corner.

In the center of the triumvirate, was the Asari matriarch, Tevos. She was, obviously, the longest serving member of the council with over a century and some change of galactic political experience. Her skin was shade of lilac with markings on her face and eyes that showed wisdom, but layers of political conniving and diplomatic proficiency. Of all the three council members, she was the only one who greeted the Salarian with a small smile, if only to make him feel comfortable and the much more subtle approach of making him subconsciously listen to her suggestions than the others. A ploy she had played for decades with wonderful achievement.

To Tevos' left was Councilor Valern, Salarian councilor and de facto head of the Special Task Group. He was, for the most part, a pretty ordinary Salarian councilor. He liked his wars won before they even started and while he didn't like to bother with extreme specifics of unsavory operations, he wasn't above personally getting others further his political goals.

To the right of Tevos was the Turian councilor, Sparatus. He was the youngest member of the council, not even three years into his appointment. In Torun's opinion, the Turian councilor was...an enigma to say the least. Unlike his predecessors, he was quiet, reserved, cold thinking. He had expected the Turian to be a walking stereotype, but he wasn't. He rarely did even spoke aloud, let alone raise his voice in anger. He sat back, observed, calculated, and made decisions. He gave his opinions, sure, but they were more out of empiricism than emotion, which made the Turian seem...detached, emotionally. Torun could reasonably predict the reactions of Tevos and Valern and already played some counterarguments in his head, but Sparatus was another story entirely.

Behind Sparatus was two Turians: Septimus Oraka and Cyprian Isanti, the Hierarchy's top military leader and Palaven's Primarch. He had requested them for a reason, as they'd be instrumental in pulling this off.

"Councilors, General, Primarch," he each greeted them curtly. Tevos, Valern, Septimus, and Cyprian all nodded back to him. Sparatus, on the other hand, simply stared, interlocking his fingers. Torun would by lying if he said that the Turian councilor's silence disturbed him to no end. However, he had a much pressing matter to deal with.

"You're a very respected member of the STG, Torun. Not many individuals could request a private audience with the Council and actually have it be granted," Tevos spoke softly, but Torun knew the underlying threat: you had better not waste our time.

"I'm well aware, Councilor," Torun replied respectfully, setting his briefcase down. "However, I do believe you must take steps to be prepared of a potential threat in the future."

Sparatus' eyes narrowed. "Go on." He was clearly showing interest. Any threat to the Citadel had to be neutralized.

"As I'm sure Councilor Valern has already informed you, the STG had been keeping tabs on species stuck in a cycle of perpetual war, famine, poverty and sometimes, genocide," he grimly reminded them. Tevos visibly grimace, those subjects not being one of particular comfort of her. Valern was stoic and even Sparatus' eyes showed traces of empathy, knowing the traumatizing psychological effects such practices can cause.

"However, a few years ago the STG made an astonishing discovery: the planet is a barren wasteland."

"A wasteland? They killed themselves off?" Tevos responded instantly.

"No. They were gone. Vanished off the face of the planet. No corpses in sight."

With the sole exception of Valern, who was already aware, everyone's eyes in the room widened. "Vanished? That could only mean..."

"They were uplifted," Sparatus concluded, as dozens of variables started to play in his head.

"Goddess," Tevos rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"Do we have any idea whom the perpetrators are?" Septimus asked in thinly veiled anger at some upstart species violating an old Council edict.

"Unfortunately, we do not. However, I'm afraid it gets worst than that. We've found high concentrations of Hawking Radiation all throughout the system and on the planet."

"Hawking Radiation?"

"It's a thermal radiation that's emitted by black holes due to quantum effects," Torun explained rather simply. "What makes this unusual, is that the hawking radiation was spread out...evenly, suggesting micro-black holes were made and then evaporated quickly by Hawking Radiation."

"You seem to be suggesting that the race that uplifted them, their ships leaves traces of this...Hawking Radiation," Sparatus commented, putting several pieces together.

Torun blinked. "Yes, exactly." Clearly Torun was expecting to have to...dumb it down for lack of a better phrase.

"I see."

"Anyhow, this brings me to several points." Clicking his briefcase, he pulled up a hologram of Rakhana. "Several concentrations here." He pointed. "Here." Again. "And here."

"My fellow councilors, we're dealing with a race that's very unlikely to use Element Zero."

"Absurd!" Cyprian protested. "The entire galaxy runs on Eezo!"

"While his outburst is a bit dramatic, I have to agree with the Primarch, Torun," Tevos said gently. "What evidence do you have?"

"Simple, the high concentration of Hawking radiation. It was all evenly distributed consistently. Because of that even distribution, I'm inclined to believe that they travel the stars through some kind of wormhole or portal. The exact methods of how, I'm unsure."

"If what you say is true..." Septimus slammed his fist into a palm. "Then that would mean travel through the Mass Relays would be negligible."

"Indeed. To say they have a massive strategic advantage is an understatement."

Tevos _wanted_ to deny it, but every bit of logic and reason brought her to the same conclusion: Torun was on to something and if the Council didn't act, or at the very least _prepare_, they were going to be _serious_ repercussions. She repressed a sigh. She was enjoying this wave of relative peace within the galaxy, minus the Pseudo- Cold War with the Terminus Systems. Alas, all good things must come to an end sooner or later. Her late mother had taught her that from the cradle.

"See this crater?" Torun pointed towards Deska region. "That was an orbital strike. We're not entirely sure what for what purpose, but the round used had traces of iron and tungsten...weighing in over 600 tons."

Now that tidbit got _everyone's_ attention. "600 tons? An orbital strike round weighed that much? Not even our dreadnoughts come anywhere near that much mass!" Sparatus shouted in complete shock.

"We have to put them down," Cyprian declared, earning a shocked look from Tevos as his implication sunk in.

"I agree, we do," Sparatus acknowledged. "But...we have to do this intelligently. We're dealing with complete unknowns and charging in like reckless idiots will only

get the vast majority of our fleets killed."

"We are the most powerful Navy in the—"

"Cyprian...shut up _right now_," Sparatus interjected, his eyes narrowed. He didn't just silence the Primarch; everyone in the room was taken back. "For too long the arrogance of this Council and our species have grown like an infectious weeds in the garden. Let's look at the facts: an unknown race that has the ability to bypass the relays has uplifted a race of their own, literally, right under the STG's radar and barely leave a trace of their presence. That fact _alone_ should tell you we aren't dealing with amateurs, but it seems I need to forcefully slap some reality into you."

Torun and Valern had their mouths agape. Who knew a simple briefing could make the Turian councilor come out of his shell?

"Second, a _600 ton_ ship round. Depending on how fast it travels in the void, it would gut most of our ships in a single shot, two or three if the Spirits feel like shining luck on us! No, Cyprian, we are the most powerful Navy in the galaxy as of _right now_. You might let your pride blind you, but I was elected to this Council for a reason and unlike my predecessors I've long learned to look at the big picture. Will they need to be put down? Likely. But until we have the proper intelligence, we _will_ tread with caution. Am I clear?"

Cyprian clenched his mandibles in restrained fury. "Yes." His reply was a simple one, fearing saying anything more might make him go off.

He turned back to Torun. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Temporarily repeal the Treaty of Farixen."

Tevos immediately stood up in protest. "Are you insane?!" The Treaty was arguably the most important law in Citadel space. According to its terms, it limited the number of dreadnoughts each race was allowed to have, with the Turian Hierarchy having the most out of them all.

"On the contrary, he's perfectly rational," Valern told his fellow councilor. "Considering the evidence we have, this race very likely has a powerful navy, one we shouldn't take likely. We're going to need as much firepower as we can get. Among the three of us, we already have tens of thousands of cruisers. We'll simply dedicate a portion of our budgets creating as many dreadnoughts as we can in a certain time period."

Tevos glared at the Salarian. "You too!? Surely you can't believe all of this is necessary."

"I don't like it anymore than you do," Valern admitted. "But, that's our job is it not? Do what others aren't willing to do. Make the hard choices. To put the galaxy above our own personal desires."

Tevos' clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "Fine," she finally conceded, but gave a enormous glare at every single occupant in the room. "But, if we can find a diplomatic solution we _will_ take it. No unnecessary bloodshed."

"And if it _is_ necessary?" Septimus inquired, staring deep into the matriarch's eyes.

"_**I**_ will be the one who determines that," she replied coldly and dismissively of the General. He grunted, but nodded nonetheless.

"While I like the idea of expanding our might, how will we deal with the Terminus Systems? If they see major increases in defense spending they will likely think the Citadel is prepping for a massive invasion."

"Your right Primarch Cyprian, however I've already thought of that. It's simple: we simply keep the repeal of the treaty secret. We only inform the governments of our client race and we ask them to keep silent. Have the STG monitor their every move. Anyone we even remotely think of breaking silence...well..."

Torun let the threat hang in the air, where even Tevos was completely unphased, silently showing her support of regrettable, but ultimately necessary actions.

"I see. Very well, then."

"How long should the repeal last?"

"Ten years at minimum," Sparatus instantly replied. "Anything longer and the council will go through extensive review." Torun nodded and looked at the other two, both nodded in reluctant agreement. He could understand their frustration; they were, quite literally, preparing for a potential adversary they knew very little about.

'_Then again, it's unlikely they know about us either.' _The thought gave the STG agent some comfort.

"Where will we build these dreadnoughts?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sparatus pointed towards Rakhana. "You mentioned in one of your reports there were large untapped concentrations of eezo in the system, no?"

"Hmm...intriguing, Councilor," Torun admitted. Outside of the STG and obvious the people in this room, it was highly unlikely virtually anyone knew about Rakhana or its disappeared inhabitants. The star had multiple planets with concentrations of resources that were ideal for building the Citadel's kilometer long capital ships. "I approve."

"As do I," said Valern, nodding.

"I suppose I give my consent as well." Tevos didn't even bother trying to pretend she was okay with any of this.

"Then it's settled then. The Treaty will be repealed...quietly. I'll make some calls to secure some contracts to kickstart some Weapons Research and Development for our ships and troops. Quadruple our defense budget and build a shipyard in that system."

Everyone in the room bowed their heads toward the Turian councilor in acknowledgement. "Is that all?" Tevos exasperated. She needed a strong drink at the moment.

"Yes. I would like to speak to the Primarch and General alone."

Briefly sharing quick glances at one another, Tevos, Torun, Valern stood up and excited the room. The doors locked automatically, ensuring their privacy.

"What happened to you Sparatus?" General Septimus inquired of the Turian's odd behavior.

"I grew another perspective," he told them simply, standing up to face either of them. "My pride almost cost me my mate's life. In my arrogance I almost gotten her killed. She spent months in the ICU all because of _me_. And she still forgave me even afterwards. Never again."

"I'm sorry," Cyprian replied with genuine empathy for his Turian superior.

"Don't be. It's in the past. It's my mistake, so I will bear the responsibility of making up for it till the day I last draw breath," Sparatus waved him off.

"So, why did you want us alone?"

"You know damn well why, General. I'm of the opinion that now may be the time to deploy..._them_." he remarked cryptically.

General Septimus' eyes widened to their greatest extent in disbelief knowing exactly what he was referring too. "Councilor! With all due respect, don't you think that's a bit...extreme?"

"Wait, what?" Cyprian's facial expressions showed confusion and misunderstanding. "Who is 'they'?"

Already anticipating the question, Sparatus handed him his personal tablet with the relevant file already opened. As the Turian Primarch read its contents his eyes grew bigger and bigger with each passing paragraph.

"Spirits! Does the STG—"

"No. We've gone through ludicrous lengths to keep it under wraps. All of those involved are in it for life and are on media blackout as well as constant surveillance. No one gets in or out without my or the General's permission."

"I...see." The Hierarchy had something like _tha_t and he, a _**Primarch**_, had absolutely no clue about until now?!

"Yes. I do." With a push of a button, Councilor Sparatus sent the most encrypted dispatch known to sapient kind to a remote planet in the outskirts of the Terminus Systems.

A Turian technician was busy enjoying his lunch when he heard a beeping noise on his monitor. Taking his meal with him, he stared at the screen. The moment he read the message, he dropped his food in shock as:

_The Spirits deem them worthy of service._

_HUNTER'S PROTOCOL IS NOW INITIATED _

_HUNTER'S PROTOCOL IS NOW INITIATED_

* * *

_Timeline:_

_April 26th, 2160: After narrowly avoiding catastrophe after arriving near the Zestrian Pact, Admiral Ishigami and a team of delegates are granted an audience with the dual monarchy. After hours of negotiations, the Draxians and Caleans conclude that joining the Systems Alliance isn't in the best interests of the Zesterian denizens, and politely decline. Although refusing to be directly under Alliance influence, the Systems Alliance and the Zestirian Pact agree to trade and economic ties. In addition, no Alliance warship above frigate class may enter Pact territory above frigate class without the expressed consent of the Kings. _

_May 1__st__, 2160: The Two Kings and Director Xavier sign IFTA or the Interstellar Free Trade Agreement, authorizing limited trade between the Systems Alliance and the Pact. Hundreds of companies from each government start expanding and setting up shop, in each other's colonies, similar to the United States and China in the early 21__st__ century. _

_May 5__th__, 2160: The Citadel Council quietly repeals the Treaty of Farixen in preparation for a potential war against unknown adversaries. Within a ten-year period, every race affiliated with the Citadel can build as many dreadnoughts as they can afford. The repeal is kept secret from the public. A shipyard is built in Rakhana's system, where dreadnoughts for all three member races are building an armada of capital ships, using what resources Rakhana has left, and the untapped reserves in its neighboring planets. _

_November 6__th__, 2160: The Alliance allows some defense corporations to sell weapons and munitions to the Pact, provided they are not as effective as Alliance weaponry _

_December 7__th__ 2160: The Alliance begins to understand biotics in far greater detail under the guidance of the Pact_

_March 22__nd__, 2161: The SSV Daedalus begins construction, nearly one year behind schedule _

_June 2163: After years of R&D, the UNSC and Alliance introduce the EXCALIBUR armor for the OMEGA supersoldiers, as well as the Mark XII MJOLNIR Armor for SPARTAN-IIs and SPARTAN-IIIs, and MJOLNIR-GEN IV for UNSC's SPARTAN-IVs. The OMEGA program is still classified, but some members have been sent out on missions. _

_July 2165: With frequent travel to each other's colonies between the civilians of their respective governments becoming extremely common place, the Systems Alliance and Zestirian Pact agree to come into a military alliance, in the same vein as NATO: if one member is attacked, the other is obliged to come to the other's aid. In light of this, the Alliance allows, with heavy regulation, corporations to sell slipspace drives to the Pact, noting the inferior method of FTL travel used by the Pact. _

_December 2165: As expected, the SSV Atlas completes construction. Steven Hackett is given command, with Captain Hannah Shepard as his XO. _

_May 2166: The construction of the SSV Daedalus further falls behind schedule. It's estimated completion time is, at best, by New Years, 2170. The Olympus, in an ironic twist, moves ahead of schedule. _

_October 1__st__ 2167: The Batarian Hegemony decides to expand into the Skyllian Verge after decades of planning and preparation_

_October 21__st__ 2167: Present Day_

* * *

**Karasis, Axiom Prime Capital city, Bar**

**October 21****st****, 2167**

Kurasis was one of the very few megalopolises in Alliance territory, let alone on a single colony. In a short amount of time, the urban city had grown to a size easily comparable to New York, and equally as diverse, with human, drell, and even a decent sized minority of Draxian and Caleans on galactic visas. Naturally, with such a diverse city, there were plenty of bars, nightclubs, and entertainment available.

Tyson, Tarius, Thane, and Kai Leng had all decided to take leave together and were enjoying a nice game of cards while having a couple drinks.

"Read 'em and weep boys!" Tyson grinned showing a Royal Flush.

"Oh, hell naw!" Kai Leng exclaimed throwing his cards down in frustration.

"This is most...unpleasant," Thane sighed laying his own cards down, sighing in defeat.

"Fuck no, Thane, let's call it what it is. This is some straight up bullshit, yo!"

"Stop hating, Kai," Tarius grinned. "You'll beat us...one day."

"Yeah, that'll be the day. Right around the time when Thane gets laid on his own accord."

Kai Leng visibly cringed. "Daaaamn, Ty! Ice cold."

Thane looked at him at with a slight smirk. He pulled out his cell phone. "Actually, I planned on meeting someone after our time together."

"Whaaat? NO way, dude!"

Thane showed them a selfie of said someone and him in a Karasis public park. It was a female drell, and by drell standards, she was a looker. Tarius whistled. "Damn, bro, you're hitting that tonight?"

Thane looked at his brother in confusion. "Hitting her? No..? I plan on having sexual—'

Kai Leng slapped his forehead. "NOT LIKE THAT FOOL!"

"You know what...all this talk about sex makes me want to smash tonight," Tyson admitted. He looked at Tarius, Tarius looked at Kai Leng, and the latter stared back at Tyson. With a shrug, all three simultaneously pulled out their phones scrolling through their contact lists with such fluidity it almost seemed choreographed.

"Still as sexually crude as I remember you, Tyson," a female voice said from behind the officer. Tarius' eyes widened in shock recognizing the woman. Confused, Tyson turned around to stare at an attractive middle-aged blonde with ocean blue eyes. His jaw dropped.

"Hannah?!" Indeed it was. Captain Hannah Shepard was in full Alliance blues. "What are you doing here? Tell me they didn't send you to cut our leave short."

"This isn't business...this...is personal. Can we talk outside, alone?"

"Um...sure?" He followed her outside.

"Who's the hot chick?" Kai Leng asked admiring Hannah from behind.

"An old flame of Ty's," Tarius replied, curtly. Kai Leng grunted. What chick hasn't Ty smashed?

Once outside and in a secluded area, Hannah turned back to Tyson. "So...you already know we...didn't part on good terms."

"Don't remind me," Ty cringed as memories came flooding back to him. Technically, when he and Hannah had slept together, he was still enlisted, which would've been fraternization had they gotten caught. "So, are you here to rekindle that or..."

"No, Tyson." She took a deep breath. "I've kept something from you."

Oh, he _definitely_ didn't like where this was going.

"Which was?"

"I think it's time you met your daughter."

* * *

**UNSC Infinity, Unknown Space**

**Halloween 2167**

Admiral Thomas Lasky sat in his command chair on the bridge sipping on some rich cocoa, his nerves calming down. Eighteen years. For eighteen years, the UNSC and the Fleet of Glorious Repentance had been essentially stuck in a new galaxy. Lasky didn't look much different, due to how far anti-aging tech had come along in the UNSC, but his eyes just showed...exhaustion. He wasn't even stressed about their current predicament, anymore. He'd just grown used to it. No longer did he constantly wail and wanting to get back home. If he were being honest, there was a part of him that simply just wanted to stay here, permanently.

Not like it was unprecedented, either. A good many of his men were starting to exhibit symptoms of Stockholm syndrome on the galactic scale. Some were using this galaxy to start all over: new families, new friends, and new ideas. They were becoming attached and Lasky couldn't blame them.

Roland appeared on the command desk sounding alarmed. "Admiral! Urgent message from Zestiria! Delta priority!"

The UNSC born Admiral rose to his feet. "Patch it through!"

"_This is Sergeant...Th...Lewis...Zestiria is under...I repeat...unknown...has landed...we cannot hold them...I repeat...we cannot, hold...enemy is taking hostages as sla..."_

The line went dead. There was silence among the crew. Lasky didn't even need Roland to clean the message up. It was plain as day: Zestiria, the homeworld of the Draxian and Caleans, was under attack by an unknown alien force. Lasky silently cursed the fact that the Pact wouldn't allow Alliance warships near their territory.

"Roland...how fast can the Alliance get to Zestiria?"

"At best, about 12 hours, sir." The AI then looked at him. "Sir...I know what you're thinking, but it's crazy! We don't know what we're up against!"

"Got no choice, Roland," Lasky smiled whimsically. "We're the fastest ship in the Alliance, bar none. We _have_ to go," he argued.

Roland, sighed. "All right, sir."

"Send word out to Xavier, tell him to get an Alliance fleet to Zestiria ASAP! I want all SPARTAN-IV fireteams and ODST ready to deploy. Weapons hot as soon as we enter!"

"Aye Aye Admiral!"

A slipspace portal opened in front of Infinity and the enormous flagship sailed through, hell bent on getting to Zestiria. Lasky cracked his neck in anticipation. He almost felt sorry for the poor bastards who dared decided to invade the Pact's home planet. They were about to get a complete ass kicking from the UNSC's most powerful ship.

They just stirred up the hornet's nest, and by the grace of _God_, they would feel the sting a hundred fold.

* * *

(END)

That's a wrap! The Batarians have finally made their move! You'll see how the invasion started, next chapter. As you can see, I've set up a lot of future plot points with this chapter as well as added some characterization to the personalities of the big four (Ty, Tarius, Kai Leng, Thane). That conversation is based off something that happened in real life. I HAD to throw it in, haha.

**By the way, submissions for OMEGA OCs end the next chapter! Get your submissions in while you still can! Again, the longer the profile, the more chance it has of getting accepted! **

No Codex till next chapter when everything comes together


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